Gundam Wing Rewritten
by Mukyuu Tenshi
Summary: Updated! UxH The Eve Wars may be over, but trouble still brews in the uneasy peace. So long as the gundams exist, there is always something stirring, even Heero's heart.
1. Operation M: Sent to Earth

Yah yah yah, I haven't even finished the goddam story, and here I am revising it! I don't know, it's just been so long, I'm not so sure if many of the "oldtimers" are still around. Not that we're old…! Anyway, I'm revising it because it was in dire need of revision, so there are new scenes or versions of them… So if you've read it before, don't just skip ahead!

And constructive criticisms are most welcome… I'm always eager to have you're input on how I can improve my writing. And if you have any ideas, go ahead and send them to me, especially if they're about the rest of the scouts; I haven't decided how to introduce them, or if I even put them in.

Pairing is settled. Period. End of question.

I'm trying to be as nice to Relena as possible, but it's getting harder and harder as the story progresses into Endless Waltz…

Don't forget to thank Morrighan for her excellent work as beta/editor!

**Disclaimer: This is the only time I'm going to write this for this fic. I DO NOT OWN SAILOR MOON OR GUNDAM WING; much of this fic is based on the manga Gundam Wing, so I don't own those lines either.**

_Since I'm writing pretty strict to the manga, there will be parts left out because nothing different happens. I might just introduce, or describe the conclusion of the scene, but not go into detail. If you want to know, go read the manga. There should be online translations/scans. _

Chapter 1  
_Operation M: Sent to Earth_

SOMEWHERE IN THE SKIES ABOVE ASIA

She let out a great sigh. Entering the atmosphere always made her as nervous as a rabbit. Sudden movement caught the corner of her eye, and the center of her attention.

"Heero! What the hell do you think you're doing?" a certain blond-hair blue-eyed girl exclaimed, glancing away from the controls of the capsule.

"Hn." The boy known as Heero finished unlocking the bindings to his mobile suit and turned around, acknowledging his companion.

She rolled her eyes. After so many years breathing the same air as he did, she knew better than to expect an explanation from the emotionless soldier, at least not on the first try. He hated explaining his actions. "Heero! We haven't even landed in our destination. Where the hell do you think you're going?" the girl demanded again.

"An Allies attack transport is nearby, they must have spotted us. They will be eliminated," the boy said in a monotone, slipping the pilot helmet over his dark brown-haired head.

A sigh escaped the girl, her icy blue eyes melting. "Don't kill yourself before your real mission has begun, Yuy."

"Ryoukai." The Gundam blasted off. (1)

The girl shook her head before continuing her descent through rest of the atmosphere.

'Mother Earth, I'm finally here. Dr. M said a ton of nice stuff about this place.' The girl let another sigh out while running her hand through her loose, but incredibly long, golden hair. 'I can't believe Dr. M didn't order me to cut my hair. It's much too long for missions. Oh well. I like my hair the way it is. It's something that reminds me of my past.' She quickly plaited her golden hair into a thick braid, well out of her way, unless she accidentally sat on it, but that rarely happened. She landed the capsule, and then took out her laptop, receiving instructions from the good doctors to detonate the capsule.

She clambered out of the craft, taking along a black duffle bag filled with any essential supplies that she or Heero might need, and when at the proper distance, she destructed the carrier by remote.

-

"Sir! Special Lieutenant Zechs! We've located one of the capsules!" an officer yelled from inside an OZ transport flying over Japan.

"It should touch down in East Eurasia. It must be the capsule from Operation Meteor. Go after it!" Zechs Merquise commanded.

The computer module showed the capsule splitting into two figures. "A new bird-like fighter plane has emerged from the capsule, Sir!"

"So, the egg has hatched, huh?" Zechs muttered with a smirk, his white mask hiding the amusement in his eyes.

"Is this new fighter plane the anti-Allies top secret weapon?" one of the OZ pilots said from the controls.

"Affirmative. We can't let it get away. Shoot it down," Zechs ordered flatly.

"It looks like the enemy has already spotted us, sir. It's heading this way," another OZ pilot reported.

"What? Send out two MS Aries for interception!"

"Yes sir!"

"I'll go in my MS Leo." The man stood up, smoothing the crease out of his red uniform. Long pale blond hair tailed the lieutenant, jostling at each of its master's movements. A cocky grin defined the contours of Zechs Merquise's lower face. "I'll show you how to fight in gravity!"

The three MS prepared for the incoming fighter plane, one blue Aries flanking each side of the Leo.

"Here it comes," Zechs warned his pilots. It was just a bright dot in the sky, but… "What?"

"It's fast! Check out that speed!" All three OZ MS tried to hit the flash of red and white, but all missed.

"Is that the anti-Allies elements weapon, sir?"

"That's what it looks like. Hm? It stopped…" Zechs observed.

"It's transforming?" With amazing smoothness, the plane began to reconfigure its shape.

"Buster Rifle, lock on!" the pilot of the transformed Wing Gundam commanded. "Die!" Heero said all too calmly, pressing his thumb against a button on his controls. A beam of energy shot out from his powerful weapon, catching the two Aries in mid-fire. The Leo that Zechs was piloting had just managed to escape.

"It got two MS with one shot?" Zechs exclaimed. He faced his opponent once more, only to have the deadly rifle locked on him. "Damn!" he yelled, moving away just in time. "Nothing but a poor shot! Let me show you how it's done," he challenged, returning fire.

The beams hit against Wing's bright red shield, unaffecting the MS. "What? It's strong... Is it made of Gundanium alloy?" he wondered, staring at the smoking gundam. He thought fast. "That how about this?" he yelled, rapidly moving closer to the enemy.

Heero just smirked. Zechs slammed his MS onto the gundam, thoroughly disabling the powerful mecha. Zechs leapt out of the cockpit in a parachute, his long platinum hair tossing in the rough wind. "You can't move now. You'll hit the ocean. The suit might survive, but not the pilot," he said, watching the descent.

-

"I've destroyed…" Heero said softly to himself, "…three of OZ's MS." Closing his eyes, he waited for his descent to end.

-

"I lost three MS! Damn that pilot!" Zechs cursed. "Those four other capsules could also be Gundam… With firepower like that, who knows what damage can and will be done."

-

The fair-headed girl surveyed the scene. Detonating the capsule made too flashy of a scene, in her opinion. OZ was bound to notice. But orders were orders; can't go back on them now.

After destroying the capsule the girl looked up in the sky for any sign of her companion. She gasped. "Heero!" she yelled, watching his gundam, entangled with what appeared to be a MS Leo, fall in the ocean. She opened her laptop and scanned for the signal of the tracker she had placed on Wing. There it was, heading directly for the ocean floor.

"Heero, you are the worst headache of my life," the girl sighed, shaking her head, her gold braid waving gently.

* * *

SHUTTLE AIRPORT. SOUTH JAPAN POINT 

Flashes, and the reporters, TV, and radio equipment that came with the cameras, surrounded a tall, stately man as he exited the spaceport gate. At least ten microphones were abruptly shoved under his nose.

"Welcome back, Foreign Minister Darlian! How did the colonial summit go?"

"What about the demand by the colonial self-governing body?"

"Reporters! Would you guys give me a break!" Darlian said exasperated. The reporters shut up, but the flashing bulbs refused to cease and desist.

"Foreign Minister Darlian, I was expecting you," a lady in a crisp red uniform said, flanked by two OZ soldiers in black.

"Who are you?"

The woman threw a stiff salute. "Lt. Une from OZ Specials. Commander Treize sent me to show you to the terminal buildings," she said in a clipped voice. Her cold eyes gleamed from behind her glasses, as though she was marking her prey.

"What? Commander Treize!" Darlian exclaimed. Turning towards his daughter who accompanied him, "Excuse me, Relena. You go on home now. I'll arrange for a limo."

"No. I'll find my own ride home," the girl replied, almost bitterly, looking suspiciously at the Lietenant.

* * *

OZ BASE. SOUTH JAPAN 

"Lt. Otto! An explosion went off in sector 152!"

Looking up from the OZ's reports of the rebel-led Operation Meteor, the lieutenant quickly jumped to the right conclusion. 'Gundams!' "Dispatch MS Aries for investigation, immediately!"

"Yes sir!"

"That's under Lt. Zechs' aerial space,"Lt. Otto remembered. "Contact his carrier!"

* * *

SOUTH JAPAN POINT STREETS

Relena sighed, ready to walk home after watching the sunset. She had been out much longer than she had expected, but had no desire to return to an empty house.

'Father's been working so much,' she thought. 'I wonder how difficult the relationship between the Earth and the colonies is.'

In the background, the waters lapped up against the partially rocky shore. A body, clothed in a white body suit, was visible.

Heero's.

"It's a body!" she exclaimed, rushing down. She laid the body, obviously a male's and perhaps around her age, down so that the head and neck was supported by her lap and gently slid the white helmet off. "Is this a pilot suit?" she wondered. "He's just a child."

He began to stir.

"Hey are you all right?" Relena asked.

Heero groaned. Then realization hit him. Hard. "Hm?" his Prussian blue eyes shot open and he stood up quickly. "Who are you?" he demanded. Then he realized an awful truth. "You saw my face!" He placed a hand over his face as if to shield himself from the girl's seeking eyes.

"Oh, I'm glad you're alive. I'm Relena Darlian. Who are you?" she inquired, holding out her hand, as if expecting to shake hands.

"Never mind who I am, because you must die," Heero said, taking aim and clicking the safety off his gun. There was a slight rustle, and Heero noticed a braid of gold out of the corner of his vision. 'Usagi,' he thought. "Goodbye."

"What!" Relena asked, confused, an unbelieving smile on her face that said she thought it was some joke.

**BANG!**

There was a click of a gun and a chuckle. "You bad guys just never seem to learn," a mysterious guy said.

Heero looked around, clutching at his hand as the sand stained crimson. His eyes locked on the figure clad in black on the stairs. He had a really long braid, for a guy.

"Hey buddy! Don't move!" he said, retaking his aim with his handgun. "Are you all right, lady?" he asked, winking.

Relena responded by walking over to Heero and bandaging his wound with her pink handkerchief. "He was passed out on the ground!" she admonished. "You ought to behave yourself!"

Irritated, Heero pushed Relena away, and then ripped off and threw the bloodied handkerchief to the sand.

The braided boy sweat dropped. "Uh… so I'm the bad guy?" He leapt down from the stairs onto the sandy beach. "Oh well, I guess I shouldn't stick my nose in other people's business. I've got to get to work. You guys stay right there, all right?"

Heero sent a deadly glare which the remarkably cheerful newcomer ignored.

The guy took out a remote, pressed a button, and there was a splash out in the ocean. Duo still kept his gun trained on Heero and Relena.

A mobile suit emerged.

-

Usagi gasped from her crouched position behind a few bushes. She had been following the signal from Heero's MS and came to the beach, only to find Heero pointed a gun at a girl.

'So that's Relena Darlian. Her father's still a target for Oz, I believe. Then, when he's gone, it'll be his daughter's turn.' She gave an inward groan. 'Sometimes I can't tell which is worse, Heero, or OZ.'

Her head shot up and a gun shot, loosing her train of thought. 'Nani?' Her eyes fell on a boy dressed similarly to a priest, all clad in black, but with a long braid, like her. The only difference was that it was a chocolate brown color. She let a gasp out. "Duo?" she whispered, wonderingly. "Is that you?"

Her eyes swiftly focused on Heero, obviously the one who was shot. Relena was bandaging Heero's hand. Heero was glaring. She sweat dropped. 'Of course the wound doesn't hamper his emotions.' Or lack of. She scowled slightly when Heero roughly shoved Relena away, ripping the handkerchief off his hand. 'When we're done with this mission, we are working on people skills.'

What mostly interested her was when Duo took out the remote and pushed the button. There was a splash out in the ocean and a black and white mobile suit appeared.

"It's a gundam…" she whispered. "Does that mean Duo's a gundam pilot too?"

-

Duo leapt up to the cockpit and lowered the door. "Heh-heh. Say you didn't see this and I'll let you go," waving his gun around meaningfully. "I picked up this cool thing at the bottom of the ocean today, so I'm in a good mood." He jumped in and maneuvered the controls so the arm of his Gundam, Deathscythe, would rise. Along with it came the form of another suit. "Tadaa!"

"Are those to both the same kind of MS?" Relena wondered. Indeed, the two suits seemed to have similar structure and weaponry.

"Wing…" Heero breathed, gazing up at the face of his beloved suit.

The watching girl sighed. 'Typical for both Heero and the suit to survive. He might actually make it through this war.'

"Hey!" Relena's shout brought the gold-haired girl back out of her thoughts.

"Hey! I said don't move!" There were three gunshots as the two (Relena and Usagi) girls watched in awe as Heero leapt through the air, each gun shot nicking him in the arms and leg.

"What the…?" Duo muttered in disbelief, the now heated barrel of his gun touching Heero's forehead.

"I don't care about my life, but I can't let you have that!"

"Oh yeah?" A droplet of sweat slid down Duo's temple, but he still fired his last bullet. His previously playful personality disappeared when it came to his gundam and missions.

"Yuy!" The girl jumped from her hiding place and landed onto the beach near Relena.

Heero tilted his head to the side and the bullet just missed him, taking mere wisps of his dark chocolate hair. Duo looked startled as he stared at the figure that had appeared near Relena. "Sere-chan?"

While Duo was distracted, Heero leapt onto his own gundam and slid into the cockpit. The eyes of the suit flared to life. Wing Gundam was back in business.

Duo's mind returned to his present situation when he heard the beeping of the activated gundam. "So that's yours, huh? Well, why don't you thank me for picking it up then?"

Deathscythe's beam scythe flared and Heero drew his own beam saber. With a clash of brilliant sparks against the midnight sky, the two beams of energy hit each other.

"What are they doing?" Relena wondered.

"Not bad for being wounded," Duo commented. Heero just smirked as the two gundams hummed their deadly dance.

"Stop it you two!" Relena yelled, her hands creating a makeshift megaphone. "Kids aren't supposed to fight in MS!"

"Usagi! Get that civilian out of here!" Heero barked.

"Ryoukai!"

"You two! Stop fighting! This is unnecessary!" Relena continued to unsuccessfully reprimand the not-listening "kids."

"Miss Relena, why don't you go home now." This was not a question. "This is bound to attract unwanted attention and get ugly…" Usagi spoke too soon. The tell-tale hum of the Aries suits rang through the air. Usagi quickly guided the pacifist girl back onto the road and waved down a taxi. The taxi soon sped off with Relena inside.

"It's the Allies' Aries," Heero said frostily.

"Now look at what you've done," Duo said, gritting his teeth.

With cold fury, the two gundams quickly destroyed the opposing suits. Duo turned to leave. "We'll do this later, ok!" he told Heero with his cheeky grin.

"Humph."

"Duo! Heero!" Usagi yelled. Too late, Duo was gone.

Heero turned toward Usagi. "Well, we're finally here. And I'm not dead yet."

Usagi scowled, purposely grabbing Heero's upper arm, dangerously close to the gunshot wound.

"I'm not dead." If Usagi hadn't known him as well as she did, she would have missed the miniscule quiver of pain in his tenor voice.

She smirked. "Acknowledged." Dragging him up to the bush she had hidden her duffle bag, she pulled out a first-aide pack and methodically began cleansing and binding his four wounds.

A growl of protest emitted from his throat. "Stop wasting those bandages on me. Save them."

Before he could pull away, she gave him her hardest glare. "You might still be alive, but you're quite beaten up. Four flesh wounds on the first day, not to mention a monstrosity of repairs required of Wing; how much longer do you think you can laugh Death in the face?"

"Long enough to complete my mission." He sat down as Usagi began treating the gunshot wound on his leg.

"But you take too many risks. You sink Wing, and look, someone else goes and finds it. You're lucky though, it looks as if Duo's a gundam pilot, probably on the same mission as you."

He narrowed his eyes when she mentioned his name, hiding his emotions, as always. "How do you know him?"

"We were brought up together at the Church." She fiddled with the end of her braid, which was only slightly longer than Duo's. Her voice flattened. "I thought he died. I guess not. He was a natural fighter though, instincts of a thief. Figures he'd show up in a MS, much less a Gundam."

"He called you Sere-chan."

"It's my real name, isn't it? Serenity? Why? Do you have a problem with that?" As defensive as she sounded, Heero knew her all too well to know that she was merely teasing.

"Hn."

"Come on, let's go. Where are we going to hide that bothersome Wing?"

"There are some woods nearby, behind the St. Gabriel School, up on the mountain."

"Perfect. Does that mean we'll be staying over there? At the school?"

Heero nodded. "It'll be a good cover-up."

"Right," Usagi said, agreeing. Heero lowered a cable and Usagi was lifted into the cockpit. Without further a-do, she her bag in the storage compartment and found her usual spot, leaning against the back of the pilot seat. "Let's go." (2)

With a curt nod, Heero blasted off into the night.

* * *

FEW HOURS LATER

ST. GABRIEL SCHOOL

Relena walked calmly through the sunlit hallways of the school, thinking of what happened the night before.

"Good morning, miss," a student greeted, dressed in the school uniform.

"Good morning," Relena replied. "Did you hear about the disturbance last night? There was an MS battle on the shore."

"Wow, that must have been scary," another girl commented.

Two figures caught Relena's sapphire eye through the window. "Oh? Who are they?"

"Oh, that's Heero Yuy and Usagi Tsukino. They're both new transfer students. Came together from L1," one of the girls informed her.

"Heero… Usagi…"

-

Outside on the balcony of St. Gabriel…

"Yuy, your tie's crooked."

"So?"

"It's not presentable, we're supposed to blend in, remember? This is the richest school in Japan. Of course you've got to look decent." Usagi said irritably. She grabbed the two strands of fabric and retied the bow. "There, much better," she muttered, smoothing out the fabric of his shirt and jacket in the most professional manner possible.

Heero shifted uneasily when her pale hands brushed passed the rapidly healing gunshot wound on his arm. "This stupid uniform is uncomfortable. Can't hide a gun easily."

"Look at me," she said, glowering, waving her arms, shaking her tremendously long, loose waves of hair that had been loosely pulled back by a pink ribbon. "Do you think I look comfortable dressed up like a doll, in a dress? Have you ever even seen me wear a dress?"

He snickered. "At least you have easier access to a gun."

Usagi sighed. Of course he still wanted to carry around his best buddy, the hand gun. The hand gun that she had given to him right before this mission all started. "Heero, if we're going to blend in, we're going to have to restrict our use of weapons. This is supposed to be a peaceful school. No one here is supposed to have firearms."

"So? We are gundam pilots. We're supposed to have firearms at hand. What if OZ were to suddenly attack?" he asked, smirking with satisfaction at the annoyed look on his partner's face.

Usagi sighed. "Heero… Give me a break already. We're supposed to blend in and…"

Heero gave her that all-knowing glare.

"Fine! I do carry a gun with me, and you probably do too. Who knows, maybe there's couple bombs in our shoes!" She noticed the girl from the beach last night coming forward out of the corner of her vision. "It looks like we have company." They both turned their backs on her and leaned against the railing.

"Heero Yuy… I like your name. I'm glad to see you again. You too, Usagi Tsukino."

Jerking his head towards her, he smirked. "Relena Darlian…" He turned his body around, plastering on a fake smile, facing her. "I almost forgot. We were interrupted last night. Remember the fate of one who saw my face and gundam." He walked up close to her and whispered in her ear, "I will kill you."

Usagi smirked as she watched Relena's eyes grow wide. 'Finally, scared. You'd think the message would have gotten through to her last night.' Heero pushed past the shocked girl, knocking Relena slightly off balance. Usagi walked forward and gave a slight inclination of the head. "Miss Relena, I suggest you to be careful with who you meet in the future. You might end up realizing how short and sweet life really can become." (3)

**Author's Notes:**

(1) Ryoukai: Somewhat along the lines of "Sir yes Sir" kind of thing.

(2) It is true that a Gundam can only seat one person, but she's got to fit in somewhere.

(3) This scene was rather awkward to rewrite, especially without changing the proximity between Relena and Heero. First of all, Usagi would never be okay with it, whether it's the fact that they are in a more intimate position, or because she would never let Heero threaten Relena like that. So, I had to make it seem as though she grabbed some satisfaction from watching Relena tremble at Heero's words.


	2. Oz Makes a Move

Chapter 2  
_OZ Makes a Move_

ST. GABRIEL'S SCHOOL

Bright white light illuminated Usagi's angelic face as she deleted the message she received. "Heero, they've finished my gundam."

"So you're heading for L1?"

Usagi nodded her head, closing her laptop. "Try to stay out of trouble while I'm gone."

He smirked, leaning back in his chair. "Trouble has an unlucky way of finding me."

"I think it should be the other way around," Usagi said wryly, turning away, her black laptop tucked carefully under her arm. "There's a shuttle coming for me in 15 minutes."

"Stay safe."

Usagi stopped and looked back, staring at the figure clad casually in the St. Gabriel uniform. 'He told me to stay safe…' Shaking herself out of her thoughts, she smiled warmly. "Don't worry. This bunny can handle herself." She turned back towards the door and exited, her sun-kissed blond hair whipping around her body. "Make sure you stay safe."

And she was gone.

* * *

TWO DAYS LATER 

COLONY L1

"Nice to meet you, Gundam Twilight…" Stormy blue eyes gazed up at the newly completed gundam with satisfaction.

"I made sure that this gundam would be in tip-top shape, Dr. M, Usagi-san."

Forest green tresses swished in the air as Dr. M, clothed in a crisp lab coat, turned around to face the technician. "Excellent work, Haruka-san. You've done a wonderful job," Dr. M said, and dismissed the engineer.

"When will I get to battle with Twilight?" Usagi asked, walking around the giant structure. It was mainly black and silver, with a bit of icy blue and white here and there. Truly a deadly mecha. It had a beam saber, a couple of retractable beam blades to throw, and a buster rifle. (1)

Dr. M's ruby eyes glinted with enigmatic pleasure. "Soon enough. We'll see. It depends how badly Dr. J's perfect soldier is doing."

"Heero…" Usagi whispered.

* * *

PEACE CONFERENCE: LOS ANGELES BASE 

The Allies' pacifists were holding a meeting with each other.

Everything was going as Treize had planned.

Two days after Usagi left, Heero received a mission from Dr. J to kill all of the OZ officials who were meeting that day in LA.

"It's an attack! The base is under attack!" an OZ soldier yelled, running into the meeting room.

"About time, gundam!" Treize let a dangerous smile creep up his face. He pressed a button on a remote, signaling Zechs' troops to move out.

"OZ! It's time to take up arms and defend the people!" a lieutenant cried, sending out troops into battle.

Heero flew his gundam into range and started destroying all of the OZ MS opposing him.

There was a beep on his radar, signaling another large MS coming in to play.

"Hey buddy! We meet again!" the pilot of Deathscythe greeted through the com-link. "I'm dying to settle our unfinished business, but I've got work to do," the braided one said, landing his gundam. "It'll wait till later."

"Try not to get in my way," Heero sneered.

With their awesome firepower, the two suits caused total chaos among the OZ MS until…

_Pip! Pip! Pip!_

"What the...?" Duo wondered as his radar system alerted him of more MS arriving. "Three new objects on the radar!"

"Newcomers," Heero said calmly. "Let's roll!" _(AN: Changed in honor of the 9/11 tragedy. This was a quote of a resistance fighter from the plane that went down in Pennsylvania. May those who innocently but bravely died on that day live in our memories forever.)_

"Wait a minute! They're attacking the Allies' MS!" Duo exclaimed, observing the new MS. "Are they gundams?"

"They're colonial fighters on the same mission as us?" a blond pilot wondered. Speedily, he opened communication lines with the other gundams. "So, you guys are on my side, right?" he asked from the Arabian-style gundam, slicing his heat shotels through Allies' MS.

"No one's on my side," another replied softly, no emotion on his face, calmly firing the bullets from his Beam Gatling of his gundam. The gravity-defying brown bangs that covered one of his brilliant green eyes was no hindrance in his fighting technique. (2)

Flames roared from a set of fangs equipped on the hand armor of another giant MS. "I'm only fighting for Nataku," the Chinese pilot of the blue and white dragon-like gundam replied, punching another MS.

"Geez! What a bunch of jerks!" the American pilot said from his black gundam, slashing through MS with his energy scythe. He artfully dodged some missiles, blocking others with his bat-like wings, and quickly decimated the offending MS.

With impressive monotony, Heero just continued to fire with his buster rifle in silence, destroying as many MS as possible.

* * *

COLONY L1 (same colony as Usagi's) 

"What?" the tall diplomat exclaimed. "Field Marshall Noventa is being attacked?"

"The Earth just reported that the colonial rebels are responsible," Lt. Une said in a militaristic voice.

Mr. Darlian was incredulous. "That's not possible!" Foreign Minister Darlian had returned to space for a conference, under the guidance of Lt. Une of OZ.

"I will try to confirm. Please stay here," the lieutenant said, casually leaving a sleek, black make-up compact on the desk and exited.

A few minutes later, Relena came in, startled by the outburst she had heard. "Is there anything wrong, Father? What happened?"

Mr. Darlian shook his head. "Relena. No, nothing's wrong, dear. Everything will be all right. It's just that this meeting might take longer than expected."

Relena noticed the compact on the table. 'Lt. Une's compact? What's it doing here?'

She walked out, closing the door quietly behind her.

Lt. Une was outside of the building, watching her watch, smirking. 'Ten seconds…'

"Um, excuse me?" Relena approached the woman, an innocent smile on her face.

"What is it?" Une asked irritably.

"I think you left this in the meeting room," the girl said, holding out something in her hand.

It was the compact.

Une gasped. "Give me that!" She snatched it away and threw it at the window of the meeting room.

It exploded.

"Father!" Relena cried, running towards the remains of the building.

"What a shame!" Une turned towards a soldier, desperately trying to calm the adrenaline rush that just saved her skin; having a soldier see the sweat on her face put her in a foul mood. "Get that girl! If she resists, kill her!"

"Father! Oh…!" Relena ran to her father, his face a mask of pain.

"Relena… You're not really my daughter…" Darlian groaned.

Her eyes glimmered with tears, a mixture of pain and confusion swirling in the blue orbs. "What are you saying?"

"You're Relena Peacecraft, the Princess of the pacifist nation Peacecraft." Darlian moaned. He tried to reach a hand out to his surrogate daughter, but found the pain to be too unbearable. "OZ… Watch out for OZ…" His head fell limp, finally out of its misery. (3)

"No!" Relena screamed, hugging her still father tightly.

An OZ soldier snuck up behind her and knocked the poor girl unconscious with chloroform.

* * *

"I will destroy all OZ weapons," Heero said forcefully, slicing through another MS with his beam saber. 

In another cockpit, the emerald-eyed pilot continued to unload his firepower. OZ missiles launched towards him.

"Damn! I'm out of bullets!"

The wind shrieked as one of Sandrock's curved heat shotels spun through the air, destroying the oncoming missiles.

"Are you alright?" the kind Arabian asked. "I'm Quatre Raberba Winner on Gundam Sandrock."

Without any sign of emotions, the youth attached the empty beam gatling onto his gundam's back. "I don't need your help."

"But if we help each other, we'll be more effective on this mission," the almost feminine voice reasoned.

"True," he slowly agreed. "I'm Trowa Barton on Heavyarms."

"Let's do this together, Trowa."

* * *

"Well well well, what do we have here?" Dr. M remarked, studying the remains of the building. "Such a shame, Mr. Darlian and his daughter were in that building." 

'Darlian…' Dr. M's silent companion thought. "Relena." The two of them had just gotten here to check out the scene.

"Hmmm, ah yes, Relena Darlian…" Dr. M nodded her head. "01 and youmet her on Earth, am I correct? But I wonder… Does she have anything to do with Relena Peacecraft?"

Carefully stepping over a chunk of rubble, Usagi reasoned, "Dr. M, you know as well as I do that all of the Peacecrafts were killed that day."

"Or were they? You must consider the possibilities. The bodies of both of the children were never found."

"Are trying to tell me that both Relena and Milliardo Peacecraft are alive?"

Dr. M only smiled in her mysterious manner. "You must always think of any and all of the possibilities, Usagi."

An engine started nearby. Usagi turned her head towards the sound.

"Who's there!" she demanded. A black truck drove into view, artificial sunlight glinting off the windshield.

"OZ," Dr. M identified.

"I wonder what they've got on that truck," Usagi said with a grin.

"We'll just have to see, now won't we?" Dr. M returning the malicious smile. She loved her job.

* * *

"Field Marshall Noventa! The shuttle is this way!" a black-clad OZ soldier motioned. Treize smirked, his eyebrows in a cruel but elegant arch. 

"Right, I can't die here," Noventa agreed without hesitation.

"I'll escort you to my private shuttle, General Septum," Treize offered.

"Huh? Oh, all right," General Septum complied.

An OZ shuttle took off nearby.

"I must survive to work for peace," Noventa said to himself.

"It's an OZ shuttle!" Heero charged towards the shuttle. "You're not getting away!"

If possible, Treize's evil smirk widened.

Oh yes, this was definitely going as he had planned.

* * *

'One, two, three' Usagi counted as she fired her gun. Hitting the tires with deadly accuracy, the truck skidded to a halt, nearly toppling over. After cleanly disposing of any of the OZ soldiers guarding it, Usagi calmly kicked open the back of the truck and smirked once she viewed the truck's contents. 

"Well well well, it looks as if your Miss Peacecraft has survived once more, Dr. M."

* * *

"What?" Noventa cried. "A gundam!" 

Heero slashed though Noventa's shuttle just as Treize's shuttle made its escape.

"Field Marshall Noventa!" Septum looked shocked.

"That is the colonists' way. They do not wish peace," Treize said from the shadows, perfectly pleased with himself. "Only five gundams destroyed the Los Angeles base. What else will the colonists do?"

"Well…?" Duo asked.

Quatre glanced around at the other gundams, and at the pilots who had responded to the video communication link. "These guys can't be my enemy," Quatre said uncertainly.

"Let's do it!" Duo yelled, challenging Heero once more into battle, his beam scythe ready for action. Heero responded by readying his beam saber for the blow.

"Wait!" The pilot of Nataku's sharp command halted their motion. "No more useless fighting!" the Chinese youth barked, onyx eyes flashing.

Duo retracted his scythe. "Say what?"

"Listen to the Allies' broadcast and hear for yourself! We've been set up!" he said, holding back his fury.

"What?" the other pilots exclaimed.

With a few dials, Heero turned the screen on, honing in on the broadcast.

"While we were discussing peace, the colonials attacked us!" General Septum raged. "The Gundam killed the pacifist Field Marshall Noventa!"

Heero was in a state of shock. 'Field Marshall Noventa? What have I done?'

* * *

'Huh?' Relena woke, sitting up. 

"Miss Relena, welcome back to the realm of the conscious," Usagi said, giving her a glass of water.

"Huh? Usagi?"

Usagi nodded.

"Where are we?"

"This is our colonial hideout. You're safe here," a wizened old man explained, his goggles flashed.

"We couldn't let OZ kill you, too, so we brought you here," a tall woman in a white lab coat with long dark green hair explained, "Miss Peacecraft."

Relena stared. "How come everyone else seems to know who I am, while I don't?"

Usagi smirked.

"What's going on? Wasn't there an attack on a pacifist meeting on Earth?"

Usagi's smirk disappeared. She turned her head away and walked out of the room.

"What happened? And who are you?"

"I'm Dr. J. I'm the one who trained Heero to be a professional killer." He snapped his claw open before closing it with a harsh _clank_.

"Dr. M. And I trained Usagi to be likewise."

There was a sharp intake of breath. "Why did you do that to them!"

"You wouldn't understand," Dr. M replied, pursing her lips.

Dr. J sighed. "People start wars and people end wars. Heero and Usagi will end this war, along with the rest of the gundam pilots."

"Why not use more peaceful means?"

"Because they don't work all the time," Dr. M retorted. "Dr. J, I'm telling Usagi today. I have to leave earlier than I anticipated."

Dr. J nodded. "Very well."

Dr. M left, her black high heels tapping coldly against the tile floor.

"Now, where were we…?" Dr. J said, turning back to Relena. "The colonies gained peace through much hardship twenty years ago with the help of Heero Yuy."

"Heero?" Relena asked.

"Heero's a legendary leader," Dr. J explained. "We gave our boy the same code name…"

Relena listened to Dr. J's story intently.

"Usagi!"

Usagi halted at Dr. M's voice. "Yes?"

"There's something I need to tell you."

"Obviously," Usagi said, rolling her eyes.

"I have to leave, to a place far away, and I'm leaving you in the care of Dr. J and the rest of the gundam scientists."

"What?"

"I'm sorry, Usagi, but my presence is required elsewhere."

"…" Icy blue eyes met garnet ones defiantly.

"Usagi…" the doctor said warningly.

"Very well, Dr. M," Usagi said stiffly.

"From now own, your missions will be given by Dr. J or Dr. Howard."

Biting the inside of her bottom lip, she grumbled, "Hai."

"And don't aggravate the other pilots too much."

"…" the pilot glared at the light gray paneled walls.

"And help the pilots understand the true meaning of peace and war," Dr. M said softly.

"… Mission accepted."

"After this battle in LA, I require you to go to Earth, and train under Dr. Howard with your new gundam. The mistake that Dr. J made was that he out to have built up piloting skills by first training in gravity instead of in the non-gravity of space."

"Wakatta." (4)

Dr. M nodded in approbation.

Usagi gave Dr. M one last look. She could have sworn there was a slight affectionate smile gracing the usually serious face.

There was a slight shaking and a boom. Usagi's head shot up, looking around for a source of the tremor.Without another thought, she ran back into the control room.

'Good luck, Usagi-hime.' There was a flash of dark green light, and Dr. M was no more.

* * *

"Aw man, we're the bad guys now," Duo said, pouting. 

"I don't believe this," Quatre said, sweat on his pale face.

Trowa and Heero made no comment.

"I'll defeat OZ by myself if I have to," Wufei vowed, growling. (5)

There was a roaring hum.

"Drop your weapons, gundams!"

The OZ MS came into view, headed by a new mobile suit.

Heero barely suppressed his surprise as a communication link was imposed. "It's you!"

"We meet again, bird gundam. I'm Zechs of OZ."

"You were the pilot of that Leo!"

"I've come for a rematch." Zechs explained. "This Tallgeese should have the same output as your Gundam! Fight me!"

"I don't think so, Zechs!" a voice came through on OZ communications. (6)

**KABOOM!**

"What? Lt. Une! What have you done?" Zechs cried.

"I've destroyed one of the L1 colonies," Lt. Une said, wearing a superior smile. "Hand over the Gundam. Or all of the colonies will be destroyed."

* * *

"What the hell was that?" Usagi yelled, running into the control room. 

Relena's head shot up. "Huh?"

"It seems to me that one of the L1 colonies was destroyed," Dr. J said, quickly hacking and accessing multiple communication lines. "Curse you OZ!"

"Damn their dirty ways!" Usagi flamed. "Those were goddamn innocents!"

* * *

'A colony was destroyed… and it's all my fault!' Hidden pain ripped through Heero's mind. 

The white mask on his head could not mask the fury in his icy blue eyes. "Stop this insanity! That's not what Treize wants!" Zechs raged.

"Shut up Zechs!" Lady Une seethed. "I'm arresting the terrorists for the commander."

"Attention OZ!" a new broadcast come through. "We are stunned by your stupidity!" On the screen came the face of a senile-looking old man with goggles and a metal claw supplanting a missing hand.

"Dr. J?" Heero wondered.

"How dare you! Has OZ sunk low enough as to attack innocent civilians!" Usagi's face appeared on the screen. Her vehemence was ineffable.

"Usagi?"

"Sere?"

"You attacked civilians without mercy," Dr. J continued. "Your target was supposed to be the anti-OZ force Gundam!"

The girl, long blond hair spilling over her shoulders, glowered. "We will never yield to the merciless OZ. You will not have the gundam!"

"It's the colonial communications!" Lady Une grimaced.

"They will not have the gundam," Heero repeated. "Wakatta."

It felt as though Usagi's heavy heart had sunk into the pit of her stomach.

"I'm self-detonating my gundam!"

"Heero! No!" Usagi hollered. "You can't! You promised!"

Heero winced.

_"If I had it my way, you wouldn't be piloting Wing," a younger Usagi said with a glare._

_"If I had it my way, you wouldn't still be here," Heero retorted, putting on his helmet. It was the first time Dr. J was actually letting him pilot Wing, not in a simulator, but in space. _

_"Heero, promise me something," Usagi demanded._

_"I don't make promises."_

_"Heero, please," Usagi begged._

"…_Hn," Heero refused._

_"Heero… Please… Don't ever self-destruct unless it's absolutely necessary," the gold-headed girl implored._

"…" _Heero walked toward the foot of Wing Gundam. _

_Usagi followed. "Or I'll disable your self-destruction sequence."_

"…" _Heero climbed up into the cockpit of the gundam and closed the door._

_"Promise me!" Usagi pleaded one last time._

_"I… promise."_

_The gundam blasted off into space._

_"Arigato, Heero…" Usagi said softly, gazing at the speck of light that she knew was Wing Gundam._

"Heero!" Usagi yelled.

"Dr. J, they will not get the gundam," Heero repeated. "I'm self-destructing my gundam."

Heero's eyes widened as he watched yet another face show up on the broadcast.

"Heero! Don't do that! You're supposed to come and kill me!"

"Relena…!"

'Is that Relena? It can't be!' Zechs thought.

Usagi turned her rage onto the Doctor. "Dr. J! Do something!"

To her dismay, there was a look of approval in Dr. J's face. "Humph…" Heero said, his eyes speaking volumes.

"Heero! Damn it! You pro…" Usagi never had a chance to stop him.

"Ryoukai… Self-detonation…" Heero typed the code in. "…executed!"

**KABOOM!**

Relena was in a state of shock. "Heero!"

"You promised… Heero…" Usagi banged her fist on the console, tears streaming from her eyes. "Heero!" she cried.

"He self-destructed!" Zechs stared in shock from the Tallgeese.

Zechs and Relena weren't the only ones reeling in shock. All of the pilots were astonished.

"Heero!" Relena breathed as she watched his beaten body fall from the remains.

"…" Usagi looked on, her mournful eyes sparkling with tears, her voice entirely worn out.

"The pilot of that gundam is a boy!" Zechs wondered, amazed at the youthful pilot of one of the most destructive mechas in the Earthsphere.

* * *

In a place across and beyond Time and Space where nothing is what it seems, a lone figure bows her head down against a door frame, a finely tanned hand giving a waving motion, closing the viewing portal. 

"Gomen nasi, Usagi-hime… But sometimes pain is vital… Perhaps the future will brighten…"

**Author's Notes:**

(1) Sorry there's no clear description. Might as well just say it looks like Wing Gundam with different colors and weaponry.

(2) It's very true that Trowa, in the manga and anime, has blue eyes. However, because I adamantly believe that Trowa is indeed Triton Bloom, Catherine's lost brother, I figured I'd give them both green eyes. After all, there are way too many blue eyes in the series.

(3) Sheesh! Can't even tell his daughter "I love you" or anything remotely father-like.

(4) Wakatta: roughly the same as "understood," but tends to be in a more militaristic manner, like "understood, sir" kind of thing.

(5) So, Wufei never really got introduced yet so technically, they don't know each other's names. However, since I refuse to continue calling him Chinese boy, for all purposes, he introduced himself when we weren't paying any attention to them.

(6) OZ communications… Well, the colonies have a colonial communication, so I figured the OZ internal communication system would just be called OZ communications.


	3. Battles

Chapter 3  
_Battles_

COLONY L1 HIDE OUT

"Like hell I'm taking Relena back down to Earth! I have my own mission to execute!" Usagi was yelling once again at Dr. J. Since Dr. M decided to take leave of the gundam pilots, pilot 06 had become less cooperative than usual.

"We need someone to take Relena back down to Earth, back to the Sanc Kingdom more precisely."

"I can't. Make someone else."

"This is a mission, Usagi. And a perfect soldier never declines a mission."

"I'm not Heero," she stressed, glaring at the doctor. "…Accepted," she sighed, knowing when she lost a verbal battle. "But later. I must check on something first."

Dr. J sighed. "Do as you wish. Just make sure that Miss Peacecraft gets to the Sanc Kingdom safely."

"Ryoukai."

-

Usagi spent most of her time on L1 on her laptop. She had already researched three of the gundam pilots.

Quatre R. Winner, heir to the Winner fortune or L4, extremely affluent, but extremely kind and generous. Pilot 04 of Gundam Sandrock.

Chang Wufei, last of the Dragon clan, wife Meiran was killed by OZ, a scholar and a swordsman of Chinese tradition, originally from L5. Pilot 05 of Gundam Shenlong, who he called Nataku.

And Duo Maxwell, orphaned, a one time thief, usually with a cheery disposition, from L2. Pilot 02 of Deathscythe.

She also knew that Trowa Barton was from L3, had a charm with animals and was extremely flexible. Pilot 03 of Gundam Heavyarms. Interesting, Trowa Barton is of the Barton foundation. Not only is the rest of the family blond and blue-eyed, but Trowa Barton should be 27 years of age.

It was most probable that Trowa had taken Heero to wherever he was hiding. Heero had survived crashing into the ocean, what are the odds that he'd survive a self-detonation of a gundam?

She came upon a certain site that was giving reviews to different leisure attractions on L3. One of them, a circus troop, had a picture of a well-built youth with long brown bangs covering one of his emerald eyes beneath half a mask.

"Bingo."

-

"Dr. J, I'm leaving for L3," Usagi told him. "I'll be back in 2 days."

* * *

COLONY L3

"Welcome to our show!" Catherine was in the front of the circus tent giving out flyers and programs for the show, a smile bright on her face, already in her circus outfit. Brownish-rouge hair curled close to her ears, yet revealing green studs that matched the woman's eyes. Usagi approached her.

"Miss Catherine?"

"Yes? Who are you?" Catherine's sharp eyes studied the newcomer, noting the dangerous look the black trench coat offered, despite the baby pink shirt underneath.

"Usagi Tsukino. Is there a Trowa Barton around?" the blond replied without emotion.

"Tr… Trowa? Why?" she asked, giving a fleeting glance at the tent she knew Trowa was in.

"He left something behind on Earth." Usagi inwardly groaned, knowing Trowa wouldn't buy something like that. "I was sent to give it to him."

"Oh." There was a pregnant pause as she pondered if this blond had anything to do with Trowa's mysterious past.

"He's into the back of the small tent behind the tiger cages."

"Thank you." Usagi walked towards her target.

-

Trowa stared impassively at his patient. Not friend, not comrade, not even ally.

Trowa Barton worked alone.

So why had he decided to save this pilot?

Oh yeah, this gundam pilot self-destructed his gundam, and was stillalive.

"Trowa?"

Trowa stiffened at the female voice. Not Catherine's, but a different one. It sounded vaguely familiar. His hand wrapped firmly around the cold gun hidden behind his waistband. "Who's there?"

"I wanted to see how Heero was doing."

He drew his gun. "Identify yourself."

"Usagi Tsukino, pilot 06 of Gundam Twilight," she hissed softly. "I've got something for you, too."

"Enter, alone, and unarmed." Trowa held his gun ready.

Usagi came in, hands up, a disk in her upraised right hand, a handgun in her left, pointed up but Trowa could tell it would only take a split second for her to aim and fire if provoked, to face the barrel of Trowa's gun at her chest. "I guess all us gundam pilots have trust issues."

Recognizing her face from the LA base broadcast, he lowered his gun. "…This way," the stoic pilot said, walking to another tent flap. Usagi followed Trowa into Heero's room.

She let out a small gasp, looking at Heero's torn, but bandaged, body. "I told you not to." she scolded despairingly. "I am so going to disable your self-destruction sequence next time." She sighed.

Holding out the disk to Trowa, she said, "This has a couple of codes you might find useful. Take care of Heero real well, and make sure you tell me when that damn gundam of his is restored so I can fix that self-destruct code for good. No point of loosing him twice to the same gundam."

"…"

Usagi looked at Trowa. "You sure don't talk that much for a clown. Keep Heero safe or there'll be Hell to pay."

"Life is Hell."

Usagi quickly turned around before Trowa could catch her cynical grin. "Remember, we may be gundam pilots, but we do deserve a little better than hell." She started walking out. "If anyone asks if you've seen me, I haven't been here. I don't want OZ on my tail again."

"Understood."

She left.

* * *

THREE DAYS LATER

ON L1

"Come on Relena, our shuttle's waiting." Usagi mentally groaned. She did not want to do this.

"Have you seen Heero?"

"…" Usagi gave a frustrated sigh. "Ask about him one more time, I'm going to do OZ a favor and kill you myself."

That shut Relena up.

Silence reined the rest of the way back to Earth.

* * *

COLONY L3

Heero stirred from the bed. 'Usa...'

"Trowa!" Catherine yelled. "He's waking up!"

Trowa stepped into the room to be greeted by Heero's prussian blue eyes. "How are you feeling?"

Heero eyed the boy, realizing that he was in an ally's care. "Let me give you some advice… Dying hurts like hell."

Trowa couldn't hold back the laugh.

* * *

SANC KINGDOM SPACEPORT

"Pargan, the Peacecraft butler, will be waiting for you with a limo. You will be in safe hands after that. I hope you find your stay as a Peacecraft most enjoyable."

"Thank you. And if Heero asks where I am, tell him for me."

"Sure, if he asks," Usagi said, grinning with amusement. Usagi walked with her down to limo, which she noticed was a bright shade of pink. She raised an eyebrow.

"You must be Pargan," Usagi asked, greeting the old butler.

"Yes. And you are…?"

"Usagi. This is Relena, I'm sure you remember her."

"Of course. Come now, Miss Relena, shall we go?" Pargan asked, opening the door.

"All right. Good bye, Usagi. Good luck in the future with OZ," Relena said cheerily.

Usagi suddenly felt bad. She had turned coldly away from Relena more than once, but the naïve girl continued to trust her and smile. "Relena, I want you to be cautious with OZ. Never, ever let an OZ officer near you alone, understood?" Usagi emphasized fiercely.

Relena nodded.

"Good. Sayonara, Miss Relena. For your safety, I pray our paths will not cross again."

And with that parting, the two women went their separate ways.

* * *

SOUTH SPAIN

Usagi stealthily snuck into an OZ base and stole a Leo.

'This should get me to where I want to go…'

She blasted off into the atmosphere. No one questioned her, as she allowed no one to see her and live.

* * *

SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ATLANTIC

"OZ MS Leo, approaching!" a soldier reported, running into the room where an old man by the name of Howard, was reading.

Howard's head shot up. "What! Has OZ spotted us already! How many are there?"

"Just one. Shall we shoot it down, sir?"

"Yes, go ahead. But first, see who the pilot is," he instructed. The soldier abruptly left the room and back to the main control room. Howard followed him.

"The pilot refuses to open contact, sir!"

"Fire away!" Howard said, studying the flying techniques of the MS carefully. "Let's see how good a lone OZ MS is."

Usagi sighed as she saw the small ocean base prepare to fire at her. This may not be her suit, and she wouldn't give any shit if it was blown to bits, just as long as she wasn't in it. She finally opened a link.

"Dr. Howard. This is Usagi Tsukino, pilot 06 of Gundam Twilight. I'm Dr. M's pilot." (1)

"Oh, that's right!" Howard immediately commanded his crew to cease preparations. "Welcome, 06. Your gundam has already arrived. Prepare for landing, and then we can begin training."

"Wakatta." Usagi landed the suit.

"Commence training with Gundam Twilight and her pilot 06, Usagi."

* * *

TWO MONTHS LATER

"Mission accomplished." Usagi/Twilight turned coldly around as an explosion rocked the land. "OZ Base 0472, South Brazil destroyed."

Twilight zipped off into the night. That was the third base destroyed this week, yet strangely enough, she wasn't tired. It had been like this for a while, each mission to destroy a base or a shipment of supplies. She wondered if the guys were getting as many missions as she was…

"Usagi you have a new mission. Take an undercover identity as and OZ soldier, mind the soldier, not a pilot, and get as much information as possible about future OZ plans with the new mobile suits and the rumored mobile dolls. Return if you are discovered."

"Mission accepted."

* * *

Usagi quickly infiltrated the OZ base and took up the identity of a new transfer soldier. Her lightning speed shooting and accuracy, as well as a perfect record on missions, got her quite close to the top rank. Soon, she to a position quite close to Treize. Une, naturally, didn't trust her. Constantly in her mind the lieutenant wondered, "Don't you think I would have heard of this girl with remarkable shooting and fighting skills before?"

In the first week of her residence in the OZ fleet, she had become the top ranking fencer in OZ Internal Tournaments, second only to Commander Treize and Lt. Zechs. Word quickly got around of the new recruit who could whip anybody's ass with a sword. As a matter of a fact, Treize himself had challenged the girl, but both had held back on their abilities, and both knew that the other was not fighting to their fullest. Treize admired Usagi's skill and permitted her to carry around a sword all the time, not just a gun. So far, only Zechs had been granted such an honor.

Treize admired Usagi's skill so much that he placed her as a personal Officer, equivalent to a Lieutenant. She would have been a Lieutenant, if she was able to pilot a mobile suit. And she could, but he didn't need to know that…

Usagi's position was very close to Treize, which meant a great deal of privileges, equating plenty of opportunities to hack into unmentionable files…

And they all wondered why the gundam pilots were so successful at thwarting OZ attacks and implementing destruction of OZ bases.

* * *

ONE MONTH LATER

REMOTE ANTARCTICA

"Sorry to bring down to a place like this, but here's your gundam. Take it." A gloved hand elegantly indicated to the refurbished Wing Gundam.

Noin peered curiously at the pilot in question. Clad in only his traditional green tank top and black spandex shorts, how could he stand the cold? Heero stared at Zechs, but then shrugged. "I'll show my thanks my own way."

Zechs eyed the pilot carefully. "So, you'll fight me?"

Heero nodded. "Uh-huh. And I'll kill you. That's how I operate."

"I like that. That's bliss for a fighter." Zechs snickered.

And so, the battle in Antarctica between Zechs on the Tallgeese and Heero on Wing Gundam commenced.

* * *

Usagi watched Treize as he contacted the Tallgeese to inform Zechs that he would have to die for OZ.

But what caught her ear the most was…

"But live so I can see you again, Milliardo."

So, Zechs was the long lost Milliardo Peacecraft. Dr. M was right after all. Come to think of it, the good Doctor had an eerie knack of always being right. Could be damn annoying at times.

Suddenly, an explosion shook the boat.

"Three gundams on the radar!" a soldier yelled.

"Damn." Treize turned his head towards the door, to find Usagi leaning casually against the fleur-de-lys patterned wall. "How much did you hear?"

"Enough to satisfy. Come on, before Une goes ballistic looking for you," Usagi said, motioning for His Excellency to leave.

Treize stared at her. "There's something you're not telling me."

"Acknowledged. Now, let's go before Wu- one of the gundams comes blasting in here. From the last broadcast, I heard they were pretty pissed," Usagi said, indifferently covering her mistake.

"How is it that you know them so well?" Treize questioned, walked through the doorway and into the hallway. Usagi walked at his side.

"I don't know them well. I haven't even met them all. I just know what I have seen and researched," Usagi answered. "What I didn't know was that both of the Peac…"

There was a rumble and some sort of a scream. Waves rocked the ship.

"I take that Une was trying to take on a gundam… maybe it was 05…" Usagi said, thinking of the Chinese pilot's strong streak of pride.

"As I was implying before, you seem to know the gundam pilots quite well."

"And you seem to know Mr. Peacecraft quite well," she retorted. "Hurry up. Or do you want us to die in a burning ship?"

"No, I don't think Mr. Heero would like that," Treize said suavely.

-

Wufei was piloting around the fleet of OZ ships in rage. He had just been going to go slice through the ship he was sure Treize was in when some weak onna decided to shoot at him. (2)

It didn't make a difference though; he made quick work of her, not actually destroying the suit, but merely disabling the arms, then proceeding towards the ship.

-

Usagi froze in her tracks. "You knew all along, didn't you?"

Treize nodded. "Your resemblance from the woman on the colonial communications the day the LA base was destroyed is too uncanny to be a coincidence."

Usagi sighed. "Well, you won your prize. We are one and the same. What are you going to do about it?" she challenged.

"Well, I would usually let Une deal with prisoners, but I think you'll be an exception. You'll stay alive, as long as you stay in the base. And as long as Lt. Une doesn't find out."

"Meaning you're not going to tell her, or are you?"

"What does 05 want?" Treize asked, changing the subject, entering a room with large window that gave a commanding view of the ships.

"To defeat you," she replied offhandedly. "I've heard that he really doesn't like you."

"Oh, really?" Treize said with a smirk, walking forward a bit. "There aren't that many people who do."

He was at the extremely large window where he had a panoramic view of the battle. He motioned Usagi to stay back and drew his sword. Usagi's hand immediately flew to the hilt of her own sword as a defensive reflex, but relaxed as Treize turned around and tapped the window. He was just going to challenge Wufei into a sword battle. 'Wait a minute… Challenge Wufei at something he's actually good at!'

As Wufei got closer to the ship, he noticed a figure tapping on the window with a sword. Treize was challenging him into a sword fight.

"Sword fight? You're on!" He thrust Nataku's arm into the ship, creating an opening for him to jump in.

"General! Are you sure that's a good idea!" Usagi gasped.

"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing."

The fist of Nataku shattered the nearby window and Wufei jumped through, his own sword drawn. "I'm Chang Wufei." Long raven hair tied at the nape of the neck, and himself clothed in his martial arts uniform that revealed nothing but solid muscles, the Chinese youth made an impressive figure.

"Treize Khushrenada."

Wufei was about to charge when he noticed a third figure in the room, now right between him and Treize. "Onna, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be on a colony?"

"Says who?" Usagi shot back. "Time has passed, Chang Wufei."

"Then what the hell are you doing in an OZ uniform?" Wufei demanded.

"I'm sure you can figure it out yourself," Usagi said fiercely.

"Heero's going to kill you."

"No he's not," Usagi calmly denied.

"You're right, he's not. Because I am," Wufei said confidently.

"Like to see you try," Usagi said, placing her hands at her waist where she would have close access to both her gun and sword.

"You're just an onna," Wufei scoffed. "What could you do?"

"What does my being a female have to do with my capabilities?" Usagi retorted, more than miffed by his chauvinism.

"All women are weak, just like the one who tried to defend this ship."

"Her? Une's is nothing. She's too caught up with trying to get the approval of Mr. Khushrenada here," she said, indicating to the amused Treize in the back. "And I'm not her. You can ask Treize how far my fighting capabilities go. And you can ask Heero how far my piloting skills go…" She sweatdropped, feeling Treize's intense gaze. "I wasn't supposed to say that, wasn't I?"

"You can pilot a mobile suit?" Treize questioned. "Can you pilot a gundam?"

Usagi shrugged. "None of your concern." There was a frown on his face, but the answer was quite obvious.

"You are dead, 06, because Nataku's going to give it to you. Yuy would be disappointed to see you working for OZ."

"Like I said before, no he wouldn't. You're too hot-headed and prejudiced to see that my real work here goes beyond that." She bit back her tongue before she disclosed the real motive behind her presence in OZ. "How do you know what you're fighting for? What the enemy is fighting for? I always do research of positions and points of view, unlike some ignorant sexist bastards I know."

"Is that a challenge?"

"Maybe. But of course you came to challenge his Excellency, not some onna," she retorted, mocking him. "It wouldn't matter anyway. You'd lose to me."

"Usagi…" Treize warned.

"Draw, onna," Wufei growled, his sword now pointed at her. He certainly wasn't going to lose to some girl who he had thought was working for the colonies, not for OZ.

Usagi drew her sword and saluted Treize, then bowed Wufei. "I'm warning you, Wufei. I was trained in the Chinese style as well. I won't be easily defeated."

"Well see about that onna." He charged her, slashing down, only to be stopped by Usagi's blade. The swords danced in a deadly flash. Back and forth across the room, they attacked and defended, circling each other as they coldly calculated each block and blow. Drawing close together, their swords locked at the hilts, the two glaring into each other's eyes.

"One thing, Chang, before I finish this. It's not onna, it's Usagi." She flipped backwards, dislodging her sword from Wufei's, and then kicking the sword out of his hand as her foot came in contact with his hand. "I told you you'd lose," she said righting herself. "Keep your head cool next time."

"…" Wufei glared at the floor.

"Anyway, you probably let me win, since your object wasn't to come here and fight me, it was to fight Treize. So I'll leave you two be," Usagi sheathed her sword with a flourish.

"You mean you weren't fighting for Treize?"

"What do you mean? Fight for him? No! A person can only win a battle if only he or she fights the battle him- or her-self." She walked over and picked up Wufei's sword and handed it to him. Then she stepped out of the way. "Have fun!" She winked, "I'll make sure no one disturbs your battle." She walked out of the room.

The two men just looked at each other. Treize just stood there, then having sheathed his sword during Usagi and Wufei's battle. The Chinese boy stared, and then relaxed his sword arm. "I'm not sure what that was about," Treize mumbled.

"That onna's an enigma," Wufei grumbled. "Now it seems as if there's no point in fighting."

"But there always is. Why don't we just test our skills, eh, Wufei?" Treize challenged, redrawing his sword.

"Why don't we?" Wufei agreed, his sword back up and ready to play.

Finally, the match between Treize and Wufei began.

-

"Hey, Quatre! Have you seen Wufei?" Duo asked over the com-link while fighting an MS. "We gotta scram before more MS come around from land bases."

"Right. His mobile suit is near the main ship… and it's not moving."

"What?" Duo exclaimed.

"I don't think he's down, he's just not in his suit."

"Great," Duo groaned. "I'll go get him. Then we gotta scram."

-

It took a while before Une could safely get to Treize's side. She was always pestered by that gundam with the scythe, 02. It pissed her off like hell. She couldn't land her MS on Treize's ship, so she landed nearby in the water and swam onto the boat, taking the ladder to the top. After that, she found Usagi blocking her way into the room where she was sure Treize was in.

"Move aside, Tsukino," she spat.

"I'm sorry Lieutenant, but I can't do that. His Excellency doesn't want to be disturbed," Usagi replied in a very monotone like way.

"I don't have time to play your games, soldier, and move aside. I have to go make sure His Excellency is safe."

"He's perfectly fine," Usagi attempted to reassure her.

"I don't believe you. That gundam pilot is in that room with him, how can you say he's fine?"

"You think the gundam pilot will defeat Treize?"

"… I didn't mean that. I just want to make sure he stays safe," Une stuttered.

"The general can handle himself perfectly. There is no need for your interference."

"It is my duty to stay at his side, and I would like to do my job," Lady Une said irritably. "So move!" Une roughly pushed Usagi aside and bolted for the door.

"You can't go in there!"

-

"Where is he…? Where is Wu-man…?" Duo flew around muttering under his breath, searching for his comrade. "There's his gundam." He tried to open a link, but there was no reception. "Quatre was right; he's not in his gundam." He landed his gundam by Shenlong, and moved Deathscythe's hand to punch another hole in the windows. He got out of the cockpit and jumped onto the arm of Deathscythe. He walked down the arm and entered the room.

Treize and Wufei were fighting equally, especially since Wufei's mind had been cleared from the fight before.

"Why do you keep fighting?" Wufei questioned.

"Because I don't want to lose to you, that's why," Treize responded, surprised at the rather dumb question.

"No, I mean why do you keep trying to destroy the peace?"

"What peace? There is no peace."

"The potential for peace is being destroyed by the constant fighting," Wufei panted.

"Because under OZ's control, there will be peace."

"Control, the people do not want to live under some organization's control."

Suddenly, the hand of Deathscythe came though the window, shattering it into millions of pieces.

The two froze, their swords still upright, staring at the figure making his way down the arm of the MS into the room.

"Wufei!" Duo yelled. "We gotta… What the hell are you doing?" Duo said.

Wufei glared. "Braided-baka, what do you think we're doing?"

"Sorry, I hope I didn't interrupt any… "

"General!" a voice shouted, the double doors forcefully clattered open.

"…N't go in there!" another voice shouted.

"…thing…" Duo finished off, looking at all four of them in the room.

"You Excellency, are you all right?" Lady Une asked.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" Treize replied carelessly. Despite having fought a match with Wufei, his hair was still as neatly combed back as if it was the start of the day.

"Duo!" Usagi asked, her mouth slightly open.

"Sere! What are you doing here?" Duo asked, shocked. "You work for OZ?"

"That's exactly what Wufei asked," she mumbled.

Something clicked in Une's head. "You're that girl with the gundam pilots. You and that Peacecraft!" Une clamped a firm hand on Usagi's arm.

"Took you long enough," Usagi sneered.

"Serves you right onna," Wufei said disdainfully.

"Wufei!" Duo yelled. "She doesn't deserve to die!"

"She's working for OZ, what do you mean she doesn't deserve to die?" Wufei shot back.

"I trust Seren… Usagi enough to know that she must have a reason for working under Treize," Duo countered. "She's smart, she knows what she's doing, and she'd never let herself be manipulated."

While they had been arguing, Usagi and Une were arguing. Treize was watching the two groups as if he was watching the best entertainment of all.

"Let go of me," Usagi growled.

"You're under arrest, Usagi Tsukino, for espionage," Lady Une snapped. "I should have known there was something wrong with you. All those key bases destroyed, because you spied on us!"

"I think not," Usagi retorted, tripping Une, forcing her to let go of her.

"Come back here," Une said, getting up on her knees and pulling out her gun. Usagi's eyes widened, too late to pull out her own gun, and bolted for Deathscythe. Just as Une fired her gun, something hit her hand, causing her aim to shift slightly, but enough to save Usagi's life. The bullet imbedded itself into the spy's shoulder.

"Aie!" she gasped, her hand immediately clamping onto her left shoulder, her brown uniform stained red.

Her scream brought Duo and Wufei out of their heated bicker.

"Sere!" Duo yelled. He leapt off of Deathscythe's hand and went to help the girl.

Treize sighed, lowering his arm, thankful that no one had seen him throw a spare bullet at Une's hand, and thankful that Usagi wasn't dead. Wait, Usagi was looking at him in that knowing way.

She mouthed her thanks. There was a flash of silver as something fell from her hands onto the ground. Only Treize noticed.

"Wufei, let's go. She needs to get her wound treated."

"Right." With a last glance at Treize, Wufei snorted. "We'll finish this later, Khushrenada."

The two men climbed back into their gundams, Duo supporting Usagi. Treize and Une watched them go.

"Why are you letting them get away?" Une demanded.

"Because there's a life out there waiting for them," Treize simply answered. He walked over to the broken window. He looked down and saw something silver. He bent down and picked it up. It was a simple cross. Taped to the cross was a message. _I'll find Milliardo for you_. He felt engravings on the back and flipped it over. On it, one name was inscribed.

Serenity Maxwell.

**Author's Notes:**

(1) Okay, so technically, Howard's not considered a doctor, but he's one of the "crew," so to speak, and will be referred respectfully as one.

(2) onna: woman. When Wufei says it, he means it in a disrespectful manner, usually.


	4. Usagi:Serenity aka Boys Wander

_Experiment: Songfic. The song used is "Yesterday" sung by Boyz 2 Men and other groups, originally written by Sir Paul McCartney. In other words, I don't own it. (Arigato John Steppenwolf for telling me that)_

Chapter 4  
_Usagi: Serenity aka Boys Wander_

MAGANAC HQ, SAUDI ARABIA

Duo paced anxiously in the hallway. Wufei could have sworn the carpet was getting worn down.

"Maxwell, stop it. Your fussing over a weak onna only proves your own weakness," Wufei barked sharply.

Duo paused, glaring at the floor, and then glared at him. "That's my only family in there!" he hissed. "I lost her once, and I'm not going to loose her again." He went back to pacing up and down the hallway, every once in a while staring at the door between him and Usagi, or who he knew as Serenity.

Minutes passed.

"What should we do now, Duo? We don't have anything to do here on Earth," Wufei quietly asked, as if to take his comrade's mind off of the "weak onna."

"Huh?" Duo looked up, right in mid-step. "Oh, I don't know. Go back to the colonies? Ask Quatre. I'm sure he has an idea."

The unusually silent Duo returned to pacing.

Wufei snorted in disgust. All this worry over an onna. He left for the kitchen to get a bite to eat.

-

A few hours later, Quatre opened the door from inside Usagi's room and quietly stepped out. Apparently he wasn't silent enough as Duo immediately pounced on him.

"How is she?" Duo asked.

"She's doing fine. She's lost a bit of blood," Duo grimaced, remembering that he still had to clean Deathscythe up, "but the bullet's out and her shoulder's healing quite nicely, and at a rapid rate. However, the muscles are heavily torn. She might not be able to use that arm for at least a month."

Duo sighed. "She'll be fine, then?"

"Yes. She's no longer in any danger of slipping into a coma. Don't worry, Duo. Your friend's in the best hands."

Duo gave a small smile. "Thank you Quatre. I don't know what I would do if I lost her again. You see, she was my little sister in the Church. I thought she had died that day." He looked at the door. "Can I go in?"

Quatre nodded. "But be quiet. She's sleeping."

Braid swinging, Duo carefully slipped through the doorway and into the sleeping goddess's room.

The blond youth watched him go with eyes full of mixed emotions. 'Poor Duo… At least he'll be happy when Miss Serenity is out of bed again…'

Duo watched over his sleeping sister like a hawk. He was going to make she was never out of his sight. Unfortunately, that wouldn't be the case…

* * *

TWO WEEKS LATER 

"Quatre, I need to ask a favor of you," Usagi, or Serenity as she was known to some of them. (1) She quickly looked around and made sure that there would be no one eavesdropping on their conversation.

"Sure. What's the problem, Serenity?" Quatre asked politely. He had been amazed at the rate she had been healing. The doctors had projected her recovery process to last for another two weeks, and here she was, up and about as if she was never shot, even sparring with Wufei at times. Nothing short of a miracle.

"Well, you see, I need to go someplace, and the thing is, I don't want to involve Duo…" Usagi trailed off.

"You mean you want to go someplace in secret?" Quatre asked, raising an eyebrow.

Usagi nodded. "I need to get back to… well… the base."

A slow smile spread across Quatre's face. "It's okay. I knew there was something about you. You always seem so secretive, like Heero. You're going back to train with your gundam, aren't you?"

Usagi nodded, a bit surprised. "Yes, actually. That's correct." There was a long pause. "So, will you take me?"

Quatre pondered this a moment. "Yes, I will," he finally replied. "I sense the need for you to be someplace else. After all, I think Duo plans to return to the colonies, but you do not wish to return there, not yet. Am I correct?"

'So, he has empathetic senses,' Usagi thought. She nodded, acknowledging that he was right, again. "I'm sorry that I can't accompany you back to the colonies, but I need to get back to my Gundam. I still haven't finished all my training yet to be able to fully operate my MS."

"Certainly. When do you wish to leave?"

"Is tonight too soon?"

"It won't be a problem at all. I always make sure that the Maganacs have a few spare shuttles always ready for emergency flight. However, you're gong to have to be able to get to the hanger without arousing Duo's suspicions," Quatre informed her.

"Don't worry about that, Quatre. Your help is appreciated. I'll… deal with Duo…" Usagi trailed off. "Just promise me that you won't tell anyone where I went."

Quatre nodded. Usagi made to walk away, but stopped at Quatre's voice. "Miss Serenity? Please, don't hurt him too much."

Usagi stared at him, making no move, then stiffly walked out of the room. She had been away from Duo so long; she wasn't even sure if he was her brother anymore.

Quatre sighed. He was going to get a headache for this favor.

* * *

IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SOUTH ATLANTIC OCEAN 

"Thanks for the lift Quatre!" Usagi yelled as she stepped away from the rising aircraft, waving at the cockpit. She was back at Howard's ocean base.

"No problem, Serenity," Quatre whispered as he sped off into the night.

Usagi gazed off at the diminishing aircraft. 'Gomen nasai Duo-kun… brother…'

"Miss Serenity, I supposed." A new, yet familiar, male voice spoke, startling her a bit. She readied herself into a casual fighting stance when she felt the man's calloused fingers on her shoulder. She spun around, ready to deliver a couple of sharp punches and kicks.

"Zechs!"

"No," the tall man corrected. "It's Milliardo now. I don't mask myself anymore."

Usagi shook her head. "No, you're still Zechs. I won't be able to call you anything else with and straight face. A Peacecraft as an OZ ace pilot?" she shuddered mockingly. "It doesn't sound right. No one would have suspected a prince of the Peacecrafts to actually be fighting Gundams in a MS like the Tallgeese. And certainly not with OZ."

"Well, I'm not the only one with twin identities, Miss Serenity Maxwell, or should I say, Usagi Tsukino."

"…" Usagi brushed past the tall man, ignoring that smirk on his face as she stalked towards the main room where Howard no doubt awaited her.

* * *

THE NEXT MORNING 

'Serenity's gone…' Duo couldn't think straight. His little sister was gone. Again. Would he ever be able to hold her safe in his arms once more? He listened sorrowfully to the radio, tuning it to his favorite station.

_Yesterday_

Duo stared blankly out the window, staring into the endless blue sky. 'Why did she leave?'

_All my troubles seemed so far away._

'Was it because of me?' Duo winced at the thought that it was he himself who caused his sister's abrupt departure.

_Now it looks as though they're here to stay._

'What am I going to do? I can't stay. OZ will search for us here. We need to get back to the colonies.' He groaned, tearing his gaze from the window and brought his head down into the hands, gently massaging that growing headache.

_Oh, I believe, in yesterday._

'Yesterday was bliss. My dearest sister was at my side the whole day…'

_Suddenly_

'Then came today…'

_I'm not half the man I used to be_

'Everything's gone wrong… like I'm missing a part of myself… a part of my self that belongs to my imouto-chan…'

_There's a shadow hanging over me_

'My dearest hope is gone… her smile's gone… my little sister is gone…'

_Oh, yesterday came suddenly._

'She's gone so soon…I didn't even have a chance to say goodbye…'

_Why she…had to go I don't know, she wouldn't say_

'Why did she go? I thought she would be happy here with me…' Tears stung his cobalt blue eyes. 'What is it that she doesn't want me to know? We used to be so close…'

_Oh-o-oh, I said something wrong, now I long, for yesterday._

'It was me, wasn't it? I said something wrong, didn't I?' Duo tore at his mind. He suddenly hated this song, for all of its accuracy, playing with his emotions. He turned it off before anymore of the heartbreaking lyrics could get to him. 'What had happened to us…?'

"Duo…" Wufei's voice cracked.

"Hey Wu-man…" Duo tried to keep his happy grin up, but failed miserably.

"Don't worry, you're going to see her again. That onna's just all over the place. Trust me, if I know myself well enough, I'm going to see her again. It's inevitable."

As if to prove his point, there was a light, but extremely annoying, beeping from his laptop. Duo opened the new mail. Sure enough, it was from Serenity.

_Hey Duo! _

_I'm sorry for the abrupt departure, but I needed to get back "home", if I can even call it that. I promise we'll meet again, and once this stupid war is over, I'll search for you, whether I'm dead or alive. _

_Uh-oh, he's calling AGAIN! I just woke up! What does he want this time! _

_sigh Oh well. Take care, dearest brother. I'm sure Shinigami will look after you, like he's always done, God of Death or not. Stay safe, and write back. I want to stay in touch with you. However, if you come back and manage to trace me, the results could be death. I'm probably bending the rules just a bit by even contacting you. Oh well. Please don't abuse your privilege. _

_Stay alive, and try to keep Wufei out of as much trouble as possible. Go live your life to the fullest, dearest brother, and make sure you don't regret any actions you take. Remember, I'll come looking for you when this is all over, so don't kill yourself like baka Heero. Maybe we'll even meet before this war is over._

_Until then, write soon!_

_Love always,_

_Serenity Maxwell_

Duo blinked the tears back. At least he was still loved. But he wondered who "he" was… He quickly typed back.

_Serenity, why did you leave? Did I do something wrong to chase you away? Neither Quatre nor Wufei will tell me anything! I wanted to show you my home in the colonies, and everything new on L2. And who is "he"? Is it someone I know? Someone that I should know? Remember, I am your older brother. What are you hiding from me, Serenity? Let me into your life once more. I want to be there for you, to make up for those last 10 years I haven't been there when I should have. _

_Love,_

_Duo Maxwell_

_aka Shinigami

* * *

"Usagi, what are you doing?" Zechs asked, coming up behind her desk. _

"Just sending an email to Duo. I must have hurt his feelings badly…" Usagi sighed, gazing at the laptop sorrowfully. "Poor brother. Oh look! He's already written me back." The girl swiftly scanned Duo's reply.

"What does he say?" Zechs asked.

"He wants to know what I'm hiding from him," she replied flatly, a touch of coldness in her voice.

"Tell me, Serenity Maxwell, what are you hiding from the rest of the world? How are you connected to these boys, the five infamous gundam pilots?" Zechs questioned. "You never talk about your past, not even to Howard, or to anyone."

"Do you really want to know, Prince Milliardo Peacecraft of the Sanc Kingdom?"

Zechs nodded.

Usagi sighed. She had been running away from her past by agreeing to train under Dr. M. Her past…

Maybe that's why she shied away from Duo, because of all the wrenching memories his face revived…

"I was born on an L2 colony, to a priest by the name of Father Maxwell. My mother's name was also Serenity, but she had died giving birth to me. Father gave me her name, because he said that I would be her exact image. And so I am. I resemble my mother quite well, except my hair is more blonde than the silvery white hers had taken on naturally." Usagi took a breath, then continued. "My life was basically boring, other than the fact that I was teased to death for being the only girl. All the other children that my father took into his orphanage were boys." She started to fiddle with her gold braid.

"Was your hair always like this?" Zechs asked gently.

"Sometimes I wore my hair up in a special style, my mother's hairstyle. Father loved seeing me with my hair like that, because it reminded him of the happy times with my mother. Except, for some reason, I did my hair slightly different." She saw the puzzled look on Zechs's face. "You don't know what I'm talking about, do you?"

He shook his head. Usagi took her hair out of its tight braid, then swiftly put it up into the old odangos. Except that instead of spherical balls, they were hearts.

"My mother wore her hair with spherical buns, while I wore my hair in hearts. I don't know why, but I could never put my hair in little balls, only hearts. It was as if something was forbidding me to put them in balls.

"Anyway, I always wore my hair like this for Father's Sunday sermons and for special occasions, like parties and stuff. I always got teased by the guys for my hair being up like this, calling me names like Meatball-head and stuff. But I was stubborn, I still wore my hair like this." Usagi gently let her gold hair out of the buns, then grabbed a brush and started the long process of braiding it. "All the other times, I wore my hair in a braid, even if the guys kept pulling it.

"Then Duo came. He had the longest hair for any boy I had ever seen, as long as mine. Back then, he was a thief, stealing to survive. He was quite successful at it, or so I had heard. He didn't wear his hair in a braid back then, but straight down. Sister Helen was going to cut it short, to a more boyish length, but Duo didn't like that, and bolted from the room. Into my room, and straight into me."

Zechs chuckled at this, earning him a glare from Usagi.

"I screamed and told him to get off of me, so he did. Then I noticed that he was in near tears, so I asked him what the problem was. He said an old lady was going to chop off his hair. I nearly laughed at that and told him that all boys had short hair. But Duo just stood his ground proudly and said that he liked his hair the way it was, and he wouldn't cut it, even if his life depended on it.

"I giggled at that too, it had seemed so silly. But I quickly sobered at the hurt expression on Duo's face. Father had always told me to be nice to new kids, and to mind their feelings. So I sat down behind him and started playing with his hair. I took out my brush from my drawer and brushed his hair until it was nice and soft. Then, I braided it. He loved his braid. I guess that's why he always kept his braid, as a memory of our life in L2."

She uttered a harsh, bitter laugh. "And what a memory. Just to think, precisely seven months after that day, the church was tumbled by OZ. We were so happy. Duo and I had become closest of friends. I think many of the nuns were considering our engagement when we were older, but we didn't think of each other like that. No, that day I met him, we came out of my room, both with thick braids hanging down our backs, one gold and one chocolate brown, hand in hand like brother and sister. He was like my guardian, only of a smaller size. He stopped the teasing aimed at me, even though it cost him a black eye and what not. He was always there for me. My big brother…

"But that day OZ came… my happy world just shattered. They killed everyone, Father, Sister Helen… every child, and all the adults that had gathered there for a meeting. Duo wasn't there at the time. He had gone to steal a MS to make to men go away that were there for a conference to decide how to get rid of the Alliance, or OZ. Duo told them that if he stole an OZ MS, they would have to leave the church in peace. So he went out. I thought he had died while trying to steal it, but I guess not.

"OZ destroyed the church, and destroyed all of the lives within it. Except one. Mine. I had somehow survived the attack. I don't know how, I can't remember. I just did. I just crouched under Father's preaching stand, in the opening. Its hard wood shielded me from all the rubble coming down. I saw everyone's shocked faces, Sister Helen's bloody one… Father's face was so pale…" Usagi placed her head in her hands, unable to contain the tears streaming down her cheeks. Zechs pulled her up and into a comforting hug. Usagi stiffened at the contact, but relaxed when she realized that he was still giving her space. "I couldn't believe it… Everyone had died…"

"I'm sorry," Zechs whispered. "I shouldn't have asked you about your past."

Usagi shook her head defiantly, breaking away from their embrace. "It's all right. I think it's best to talk about it…to let it out… I haven't felt this… relieved…in my life. It's like a cloak of shadow off my shoulders."

"Well then, I suppose you can still tell me what happened after that, and how you became a gundam pilot," Zechs said, grinning wryly.

"Why not," Usagi retorted flatly. "I don't know what happened after that. I guess Duo had come back, but I think I had left before then, running into the streets. Then I ran into some OZ soldiers. They thought I was a sweet little pretty thing, and tried to take me back to their base. I bit one of their fingers, and kicked the other one real hard in the groin, courtesy of Duo's excellent teaching. And I ran. And ran. Until I ran into Dr. M. She took me in and trained me, first to build up my strength. Then we went to L1, where I met Heero Yuy and Dr. J. The training that both of us had taken had left an emotionless mark on Heero. I was too stubborn to loose the personality that I had already developed. Some things are just too good to lose…

"Anyway, I think Dr. M was disappointed and yet glad at the same time that I still retained my emotions. Heero and my combat skills were nearly equal. I preferred not to kill, but Heero didn't mind at all. He could still hack into well secured data bases and mainframes faster than me, if only by 30 seconds. He was quicker at analyzing floor plans and creating methodic infiltrates. He was so automatic, and he was an ace with the gun. However, I could still knock his sword from his hand, and his arrows never split mine on the archery fields, nor was his knife throwing as precise as mine. We were entirely equal in the MS simulators. Dr. M said herself that we had a fifty-fifty tie between the two of us.

"Dr. M really wanted me to be the one to participate in Operation M. But since Heero had given up his emotions to his job as an assassin, he was chosen to be gundam pilot 01, the pilot of Wing Gundam, while I was to wait behind for another gundam to be completed. One can only smuggle so much gundanium to a certain at certain time frames. My gundam Twilight hadn't been finished until a couple of months ago. Now I have to make up for all the training I missed. I'm out of practice anyway since Heero isn't here for me to take out my anger out. Or to disable that stupid self-destruct code." Usagi groaned, remembering that she had received Trowa's email that he had sent while he was staying in Antarctica about the rebuilt Wing Gundam.

"That's already taken care of," Zechs said, his eyes twinkling. "I didn't put a self-destruct sequence in the new gundam."

Usagi stared at the man.

"What! I didn't want him killing himself before I could kill him," Zechs said, defending his motives.

"Why do you want to kill him?"

"His form of battle is unique, and the most advanced I've ever seen. I rarely feel like I get a challenge in fighting in a MS, except with a gundam. There's no point of me being a pilot unless there's a challenge out there for me to face it."

"He probably is the best out of the six of us, being to perfect soldier and all. He only has two faults. He can't beat me in fencing, and Quatre's definitely a better speaker than him. Quatre would manage to do the job nicely and politely. Heero would just whip out his gun and say, 'Omae o korosu.'" (2) Usagi gave a weak smile at the memory. "Just like that time when we had first gotten on Earth. That time after I had just found him after you had knocked Wing into the ocean. He nearly killed Relena then," she said, watching Zechs stiffen. "You can thank Duo for saving her later. You know, your battle with Heero isn't over yet."

"I know. But I'm Milliardo Peacecraft right now, and I must uphold the Peacecraft honor of pacifism," the man said gravely.

Usagi snorted. "You? Preach peace? Give me a break. It won't happen." She held her hands up in mockery, bowing. "Oh, Prince of Peace, will you honor me with a lesson of the objective of pacifism? Maybe later we can go fence and kill each other in our MS?"

"Just watch, Serenity Maxwell. Just you wait, someday, you'll see," Zechs challenged her mockery.

* * *

THREE WEEKS LATER 

BAGHDAD SPACEPORT

"Duo, Wufei, get into the shuttles! I'll cover you backs!" Quatre shouted as his Heat Shotels make quick work of the multitudes of OZ MS surrounding them.

"Righto Q-man!" Duo yelled, apparently his cheerfulness restored, much to the pilots' relief due to the constant exchange of emails between the two siblings. Evidently, all the walls the two had inadvertently built between each other over these hard years had crumbled to dust.

"We can't get into flight with all this fire," Quatre pondered. Tears trickled out of his eyes once he realized his only option. "I'm sorry, Sandrock," Quatre whispered, typing a certain code into the console. A tear dropped onto the keypad before Quatre could wipe it away. He had really grown attached in the short period of time he had trained, he really had.

When Quatre had just gotten out of the way, Sandrock self-destructed, creating enough dust chaos for the three pilots to escape. Wufei stared on his shock and awe at the dedication of the young man who had given his gundam to save their lives.

"Thanks man! Let's get outta here!" Duo yelled, firing up the ignition to his purloined shuttle. "We're going back."

"Back to the colonies," Wufei murmured.

"Back home," Quatre whispered uneasily to himself, not sure of what awaited each of them back in the colonies. 'Father…'

* * *

SYDENY, AUSTRALIA 

Heero and Trowa had done the same thing as the other three. The only difference was they had left their gundams on Earth, in safe hands, of course. They borrowed their shuttles from the person who they entrusted with gundams with.

"See you later," Trowa told Heero.

"Right. Let's go."

* * *

Five shuttles quickly escaped the Earth's atmosphere, each heading into a different direction, going to different colonies…. 

Until a few got diverted...

* * *

MEANWHILE 

MIDDLE OF THE SOUTH ATLANTIC

Usagi wiped the sweat away from her forehead as she stared at the now complete Tallgeese, wondering in awe at the skill of the man who piloted the machine.

"Damn, my energy is getting too low," she muttered. "He's one hell of a good pilot." Deciding that she wasn't going to win any shooting rounds with her buster rifle or her beam blades (3), she discarded her buster rifle and drew her beam saber, her ultimate weapon. The Tallgeese followed suit, knowing how easy it was for a gun to be slashed out of his hands by a beam saber.

Electricity sparkled as the two pilots met with their sabers crashing together, honing their combat skills until they were deathly sharp for any of the upcoming battles in the future that were sure to take place. Even in practice, each risked meeting Death head on. But neither would allow flaws in their dance patterns, for a flaw in actual battle could cost lives. Both pilots stepped with precision, matching each stroke by stroke, and neither giving in to the other.

Besides, they got free service from Howard for tuning up their gundams.

Milliardo glared at the opposing suit. 'Damn she's a good pilot,' he swore as he maneuvered his saber to block her oncoming stroke. She was going to be in trouble. Zechs is Treize's top fencer. A whole army of Allies' Aries fell to his saber. 'Correction,' he mentally thought. 'I was the top fencer in Treize's army.' He grinned as he opened a vid-link with Usagi. "Care to join me in this dance to death?"

"My pleasure, your highness. Watch out, I tend to step on people's feet," she said mockingly, delivering the Tallgeese a none-too-gentle kick in the leg.

"Ah, we shall have to practice that out, will we not, milady Serenity?" Zechs replied with equal amount of mockery as he nearly slashed through the offending leg.

The two MS continued duel with their sabers, commenting on each other's talents and attributes, their good move and their bad moves, what they should work on, and other, truly miscellaneous topics of discussion.

Howard looked on with interest, studying the new fighting techniques of both pilots. "Amazing," he whispered to himself. "That's what ace pilots can do these days. They're new types in this world. Maybe now we do have a hope in this world to defeat OZ."

* * *

OUT IN SPACE 

Duo groaned. Deathscythe was a mess. How the hell was he going to fix it? 'Oh great, now comes some dumb ass OZ bastards,' Duo thought. 'Of all days, why this day?'

Deathscythe didn't have the thrusters necessary for battle in a zero-gravity environment, and was no match for the improved space Taurus suits OZ had somehow gotten their hands. Lt. Une quickly had poor Duo captured.

Luckily, Shenlong was in the district. (4) Although the proud dragon wasn't in any better shape, but at least Wufei wasn't captured. Knocking out the two MS holding Deathscythe captive, Shenlong latched onto the heavily damaged Deathscythe, then jammed his energy glaive into Shenlong's torso, creating an explosion which he used to propel backwards into space. (5)

"I'll be back, OZ!"

* * *

As soon as Trowa had gotten onto the Moon base, he quickly changed his identity to an OZ pilot by the information on the disk Usagi had given him long ago. Undercover work was _his_ expertise, not Usagi's.

* * *

Heero set himself on a mission. Rumors had it that the good Doctors had been captured by OZ. No matter, he would kill them if they had started working for OZ. But first, he needed an MS, so he broke into the Moon base to go steal one. 

**Author's Notes**:

(1) Usagi and Zechs will only be Serenity and Milliardo in name; during normal narration, they will be Usagi and Zechs.

(2) Heero's infamous line: Omae o korosu _I will kill you_.

(3) Beam blades: blades of energy that she could shoot out of the lower arms of her gundam; they had metal cores like knives, sort of like what Deathscythe has in the anime

(4) Okay, so I fudged it a little. But while I was revising it, I realized Duo gets captured by OZ, and the next thing we notice is that he shows up with Wufei! Hm… I'm actually surprised no one caught me on that… Oh well

(5) Ha! Something we learning in physics class! Push backwards against exhaust from explosion, and exhaust pushes against you… forward! (Newton's 3rd Law of motion) Marvelous thing, physics is.


	5. Wings of Sorrow

Chapter 5  
_Wings of Sorrow_

MIDDLE OF THE ATLANTIC OCEAN

A tear rolled down her porcelain cheek, and soon another followed… and another… and another.

Why was she crying? Oh yeah, dreams.

Usagi had been having weird dreams; she just couldn't understand them. What did they mean? What were they trying to tell her?

She remembered hearing a droplet of water hit a surface of a smooth black pond, creating glowing ripples. She felt like she was hovering over the endless lake, completely void of any light, except for the ripples of light on the lake of total darkness. A slight wind blew, glowing cherry blossoms floating around with the wind, but no tree in sight.

She felt feathers brushing against her nude body, and realized she had pure white wings sprouting from her back, glowing with a brilliant light in the forlorn darkness, pure white and streaked in gold… no, tainted in gold. She spread them out and took up a gentle flight.

It was like there was a blanket of calm surrounding her; shefailed to notice anything around her, especially about the fact that everything else was shroud in darkness, not a single soul nearby. Until she realized sparkling droplets of tears were flowing down her face, hitting the dark lake with light ripples… (1)

That was when she always woke up, finding tears on her cheeks. 'Why am I always crying in that dream?' It was never like she screamed and people came running, but more like something quiet, and sad. Loneliness, something whispered in her mind. She quickly suppressed sob rising in her throat. Something sad was going to happen, she was sure of it, or else why would she be crying? 'Is something going to happen to Heero?' she wondered. 'But that doesn't explain the wings…'

She got up and dressed, pushing the dreams out of her mind and prepared for another day of hard work, training with Zechs, preparing for the sure-to-come battles.

* * *

OZ LUNAR BASE 

"Checkmate."

Heero computed he was in trouble. And he computed that Trowa was holding a gun to his head.

And his perfect soldier mind computed that Trowa was in an OZ suit.

And his mind computed far more.

"I'm OZ pilot trainee, Trowa Barton." His emerald eyes narrowed. "Identify yourself" he saidin hissoft, deadly tone.

Heero looked up at him, fully knowing that Trowa knew who he was. He gave a smirk. "I'm…a gundam pilot" he said in surrender, his hands up as if to mock his co-pilot.

* * *

BACK TO USAGI 

"Oh Serenity, dearest," Zechs came mockingly singing through the doorway. "Guess what?"

Usagi scowled. "I've told you many times, Zechs, my name is Usagi. Serenity is too innocent."

"But Serenity, we are going on a mission, a very special mission."

Usagi did not like the unusually happy tone of his voice. The ex-OZ officer was practically dancing. "Details?" she asked suspiciously.

"We're going to Moon City to give a little peace conference. And Lt. Une is going to be there."

"Oh joy," she said flatly. "The Bitch is going got be there. Figures. She'd take one look at me and explode."

Zechs removed his mask for her, for the first time, revealing thin platinum blond bangs dangling in front of his crystalline blue eyes. "Very perceptive. We're leaving at 1600 hours today, so let's go over the details now…"

"Don't forget to bring earplugs just in case" Usagi drawled.

* * *

COLONY L4, WINNER CORPORATION 

"But Father! If I don't fight for peace, then who will? Someone has to fight for the colonies," the young heir complained to his father. Quatre held a disk tightly in his hand, trying to explain his reasoning behind his actions as a gundam pilot.

"Fighting will not solve anything!" Mr. Winner roared. As an avid pacifist, he was not pleased with his son's actions in Operation M. "You're the Winner heir! It's time you start thinking like one."

"But he's already thinking like one," the soft voice of Ilea came from behind her youngest brother.

"Ilea…" Quatre whispered.

Quatre's father grumbled, staring out the window. "Look all those people have been fooled by OZ to protest against me again, but we're not fighting." A mob crowded at the gates of the mansion, parading with signs and mantras about the "evil" giant, Winner Corporations.

Without any warning, a MS Leo soared in, claiming to be the Winner's guard, shouting "Death to the protesters!"

* * *

1700 HOURS 

MOON CITY

Une watched a MS come flying into the base. 'What, it's the Tallgeese!' She dashed towards the hanger with three soldiers as an escort. 'That bastard's alive?'

* * *

IN A PLACE WHERE TIME IS AS VOLATILE AS THE SURFACE OF WATER 

'This should be interesting to watch…What's Serenity-hime going to do next? What does she and Milliardo-sama have planned?' A tall figure gazed on into the viewing portal alone, her knee-length forest green hair fluttering in the invisible wind. She leaned gently against a large dark silver staff that looked almost like a key, with a garnet orb resting in the intricate ring.

'Serenity-hime must survive; the future depends on her… But will she need to require her old memories in the process?'

* * *

MOON CITY 

Zechs elegantly aided Usagi out of the cockpit of the Tallgeese, but not before quickly checking their surroundings in the base. Usagi, her hair back in its heart-shaped odango pigtails, also observed the hanger, noting in particular other MS stored in positions ready for jettison. As for Twilight, she had dropped off the gundam at a very dependable place where she was sure no one from OZ would find it. Besides, two other highly familiar MS residing over there anyway… she figured if they trusted that woman with their MS, she might as well trust that woman with her own MS.

The tall man wore the proper uniform of someone representing the Sanc Kingdom, while Usagi wore a white blouse and a rich baby blue pleated skirt that reached right above her knees. Milliardo would have required her to wear the more formal tight skirt, but he relented when she argued that one couldn't run in that. Noin used to always complain about that to him as well, which is why he let the officer wear pants.

"Zechs!"

Usagi looked on with amusement clearly shown on her face as Une bolted into the room.

"What nerve you have showing up here! Have you no respect for General Treize?" the lieutenant demanded.

"Treize Khushrenada is my friend," Zechs said airily. "I believe you're mistaking me for someone else."

Usagi smirked.

"I'm here to attend the colonial meeting as a delegate from Earth. I am a peace ambassador of the Sanc Kingdom, Milliardo Peacecraft."

Usagi would have burst out laughing if she hadn't the emotional training from Dr. J and Dr. M. She looked behind Une at one of her smartly dressed guards. 'Trowa…' Icy blue clashed with equally icy green.

"Don't give me that...!" Une started, protesting. It was too late.

Milliardo was too fast for her as he grabbed her hand in his own. "I'll excuse your behavior this once, for Treize's sake. It was a please to meet you, Specials Lt. Une." He gave the hand he held a peck.

Lt. Une was filled with chills when his lips touched her hand. 'That _has_ to be Zechs…' she thought darkly to herself. Her eyes wandered to his companion.

"Tsukino!" Lt. Une blared.

Usagi just managed to keep a straight face as she turned and started talking to Zechs. Then, after a few minutes, she just _happened_ to notice that Lt. Une was screaming her lungs out at her. "Pardon? I'm not this 'Tsukino' you call me.Perhaps you have mistaken me for someone else as well?" she sneered.

The right corner of Trowa's lips twitched.

Lt. Une's face twisted into contorted anger. Usagi nearly laughed out loud. Nearly. "My name is Serenity Maxwell. I came here to accompany Ambassador Milliardo as an intern from Law School. I am eager to learn the ways of an Earthsphere peace diplomat."

Lt. Une tried to wipe off all emotions off her face, but she was still livid. "Very well" she said stiffly.

* * *

PRIVATE CONFERENCE ROOM, OZ LUNAR BASE, MOON CITY 

"Zechs?" the voice of Treize questioned Lt. Une through vid-computer. "But he's dead."

"Sir, he's calling himself a Peacecraft with a straight face!"

"So, it's not Zechs then. Milliardo Peacecraft is a friend of mine."

"But General!" Lt. Une protested. "He's with that Tsukino girl! Who's under the name of Serenity! Who the hell does that girl think she i…"

"Listen," Treize cut her short. "I leaveall space matters to you. Do what you like. Mass produce that new MS if you're so inclined, and station them at the colonies."

"Yes sir." Lt. Une saluted and closed the link.

* * *

BACK TO QUATRE 

Quatre banged his fist against the window pane. "What is that Leo doing?" he cried in horror.

"What? It's firing at the civilians! I don't even know that MS!" Quatre's father was shocked. "What the hell is going on!"

A troop of Tauruses flew in, landing between the MS Leo and the scattering protestors.

"People! OZ is here to protect you!" One of the MS Taurus pilots announced. "The Winners are crooks! Let's fight them together!"

Meanwhile, Quatre noticed the pilot of the "Winner's Guardian MS Leo" snuck out of the suit. "Oh no! It's an OZ trap!"

Realization dawned on the doomed family. "OZ set us up!"

It didn't take long for the MS Taurus to target the mansion itself. Anguished cries ofa lost boy shook space. "Father! Ilea!"

* * *

OZ HQ, EARTH LOCATION 

Treize sat in his office, contemplating after his conversation with Lt. Une. 'So, Serenity did find Milliardo… a faithful soldier to the last.'

He fingered the cross that she had left him. 'As we proceed with independence, the colonies will need arms and we'll sell them MS. That should satisfy the Romefeller Foundation.'

He took a sip of coffee. 'Milliardo…would he be against it? That would be interesting. And Serenity, not the pilot Usagi but Serenity Maxwell, what is her view on this issue?'

* * *

MAIN CONFERENCE HALL, MOON CITY 

"I have no objections to your desire for independence, however, you must reconsider armament! Only demilitarization can bring peace to the colonies," Milliardo/Zechs said firmly, standing up to emphasize his point.

"Ambassador Peacecraft's opinion is idealistic and unrealistic," an unamused Lt. Une challenged. "How would you maintain the safety of the colonies?"

Usagi took that as her queue to speak. "Milliardo-sama's opinion may be idealistic, however, it can be made realistic. The crux of his theory, and the belief of the Sanc Kingdom, is that without the weapons, there would be no war. Logical, isn't it?" she asked, glancing at all the representatives at the meeting, making sure to meet each of their eyes. "Well, should all of the nations participate in the disarmament, then there would be no weapons, henceforth no more wars. Is that not correct, Ambassador Milliardo?"

"Quite right, Serenity. The ideal would be the immediate disarmament of all nations. I think the colonies should play as the example," Milliardo said, a slight smirk on his face exhibited specially for Une. "OZ must leave the colonies! That is the first step to a true peace!"

Lt. Une glared at the pair. "Damn." she muttered under her breath. "I absolutely hate those two."

Usagi loved her role in this mission, anything to torture Une.

-

Duo and Wufei had just stolen into the base after learning that Heero was possibly being kept prisoner there. They were walking through the halls when Duo heard the name "Serenity."

'Serenity? Here?' he thought to himself as he led Wufei nearer to the room. They heard snatches of the debate, a voice clearly that of Zechs Merquise. However, this man was speaking against OZ. Something didn't fit here. 'Oh well, Why don't we just open our mouths and agree with mask-boy here.'

Wufei beat him to it. "That's right! OZ is the real enemy of the colonies!"

Lt. Une's head whipped around. "What?" Everyone stared at the two young men; everyone except for Serenity.

"Duo!" Wth the grace and agility of a rabbit, Usagi dashed out of her seat and into her brother's open arms. The colonial representatives looked confused, unsure of what to make of Serenity's unprofessional behavior, as well as these newcomers.

Duo squeezed her into a tight hug. "Hey Serenity…" he murmured as he rested his chin onto her gold hair.

Usagi suddenly pushed him away. Duo stared at her, his indigo eyes wide with a hurt expression in them. She got out of his arms. "Brother, dearest, you interrupted one of the most important peace negotiations!" she said in mock indignity, throwing her hands akimbo about her hips.

"Serenity Maxwell, my sister, deepest apologies. My comrade and I shall depart," Duo said, catching on. He gave a low bow and started walking away, winking at the astonished Wufei. Just as he passed through the doorway, he found Serenity's arms around his middle, just as if they were 5 years old again. He turned around, facing her.

"You may have interrupted our meeting, but I'm glad you came anyway," she whispered, hugging him as if there was no tomorrow. Who knows, perhaps there wouldn't be a tomorrow. Duo buried his nose in her hair, smiling at the fact that they both still had the same hairstyles from their youth, one in a braid, and one in odango pigtails.

"What is the meaning of this?" the colonial representative of L1 demanded, bringing the siblings back into reality.

"Well, you see," Usagi explained softly, "We're gundam pilots, we know what really goes on out in the battle field."

"Why do you trust OZ?" Duo questioned, looking up from his sister's head. "They don't want peace."

"They seek only control!"Wufei declared, his voice containing that finality in it.

"I think OZ ought to reveal their true intentions." Usagi's old smirk was on her face again, as Zechs surely noticed.

"Shut up!" Une screamed, point a furiously shaking hand at the three. "Arrest them! Now!"

"Na-ah-ah!" Duo said, waggling his finger, laughter in his voice. "We're not here to fight. You ought to treat us like guests."

"Lock them up and throw them in prison with that other gundam pilot!" Lt. Une continued to rant.

Usagi sighed as OZ officers soon surrounded them. "Don't fight you guys," she whispered to the other two as they stepped into a defensive stance. "Duo said we weren't here to fight. Besides, you remember what happened last time you interupted a peace conference."

The boys nodded and wincedin response to the allusion to the LA fiasco.Quickly andquietly, theyallowed the soldiers to search and hand cuff them and lead the three of them off into the cell.

Unfortunately, the lasting Usagi wanted to see was Heero's furious eyes when she was tossed into his prison cell.

* * *

Milliardo watched the three gundam pilots be taken away. 'This was an unexpected turn of events. At least Usagi's back with her brother.' 

While Une was being very busy with the custody of the three rebels, Zechs made a quick getaway in the Tallgeese.

* * *

PRISON CELL 0249, OZ LUNAR BASE

Heero glared at Usagi once she entered. "Why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be on Earth?"

Usagi winced at his cold voice. "Was on Earth, and am in prison with you now."

Heero continued glaring at her. "Usagi, you don't have a single cut on you. What did you do?"

"You don't want to know."

"Yes I do."

"No you don't."

"Yes I do."

"No you don't."

"Usagi, tell me what happened."

"No."

"Now, Usagi."

"No. Ask Duo or Wufei. They can tell you." The two boys were watching the quibble with much interest, while trying to look as disinterested as possible.

Heero ignored her. "Usagi, as you superior, I demand to know what happened."

Usagi slumped. He always had to pull rank. "Fine, be that way. The three of us let the soldiers take us away because I didn't want my hair to be ruined."

Duo chuckled. That was the Serenity he remembered.

"Usagi." Heero growled, standing right in front of her. "Stop playing around."

She blinked, staring into those prussian blue eyes, so close to her own. Quickly, her own eyes dulled of their fiery spirit and she slipped into "soldier mode." "I came here on a mission with Mil…"

"Sh!" Heero hissed, stepping in closer and placing a calloused hand over her mouth. Duo narrowed his eyes at the proximity of the two, but let it go. Heero's own eyes were narrowed as he listened to the footsteps drawing nearer and nearer. When he realized that the guard was coming to their cell, he removed his hand. The face that appeared through the bars was all too familiar.

"Trowa," Usagi whispered. "Is Milliardo all right?" Heero's eyes narrowed at the name or his rival.

Trowa didn't answer her question. "06, out."

Heero and Duo swiftly and smoothly moved protectively in front of Usagi. "What do you want with her?" Duo demanded.

"Lt. Une has expressed her wishes to see her."

Wufei snorted. "Lt. Une doesn't wish to see her, she wishes to torture her."

"Lt. Une decreed that it would be fit to question the girl," Trowa said emotionlessly.

"I'll go," Usagi said quietly.

"Serenity!"

"Usagi!"

"Onna, what are you, insane?"

"Trowa's been turned into an OZ tool," Heero explained.

"You don't think I don't know that?" She gave him a meaningful glance. "I would say more, but Wufei blew my cover last time."

The Chinese youth snorted. "It was convincing enough, defending Treize and all."

Usagi sidestepped Heero and her brother.

"Sere..." Duo said, placing a hand on her shoulder as she tried to slip by. "I know you don't want trouble for us, but we're willing to face it for you."

"No, it's not that… I just want to get it over with. It was bound to happen sooner or later. Don't worry, I can handle it." She moved toward the door. "I'll be back before you know it!" she said with a wink and a peace hand-sign. Funny, she had never done that before, yet it came so natural to her…

Trowa led the girl out then locked the three boys back into near total darkness.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Duo said, worried.

Wufei groaned. 'Duo's going to go all depressy on me again.'

Heero said nothing; he just glared at the door.

-

Trowa had Usagi following him, another two soldiers watching. He knew that if he wanted to break the girl out, he could do it now, he had too much of Une's trust as a skilled fighter. Together with Usagi, taking out these two wouldn't be a problem.

But for some reason, a gut feeling told him no. It wasn't a gut feeling of duty, but more like an inner sense, that if he just keeps on playing, things will end up better in the long run.

So he let it be.

Usagi stared at the tall man's back, wondering what exactly was going on in his head. 'So, he put the info from the disk into good use, but does he still know whose side he's playing on?' Either he was a major hole in the gundam's side, or a major one in Une's side. She was hoping for the latter. 'But if he's still on our side, then is he still going to take me to Une?' She gave an inward shudder. Une hated her guts; it was a fact. Besides, OZ questionings were bad enough…

They were there, at the door, a heavily bolted door with another security pad on it. 'Oh goddess, here goes nothing…' Usagi followed Trowa in. The door slammed shut behind her with a heavy thud as another soldier roughly shackled her to two dangling handcuffs that were just her height if she stretched out her arms and was on the tips of her toes. 'Great, I'm going to get Milli's present dirty.' Milliardo had bought those clothes for her, and she was certain they weren't going to last this session.

The sound of high-heels clicking on the floor grew nearer, followed by a sound of a cart being pushed on squeaky wheels. Usagi calculated quickly, and once the cart was within range, she swung out and kicked it, earning her a muffled tumble and an angry scream. Another OZ soldier grabbed her and held her writhing body still as Une fixed the upset cart. She writhed like hell, and managed to give a few sharp kicks to the shins and the groin, but there were too many soldiers to fight them all off. At the first signs of weariness, she stopped, knowing that she would need to save her strength.

'Goddess… I must have made her mad… ' She knew Trowa wasn't there anymore, but her eyes didn't need to adjust to the dim light as she was staring at Une's glasses that reflected the malice in the woman's eyes. Oh yes, this little bunny of the moon was going to get it…

The first punches and whiplashes she didn't feel, but as more and more were brought onto her body, she couldn't handle it anymore. She wouldn't scream, but she couldn't stop from twitching, from showing her pain. She wouldn't speak either, though Lt. Une wasn't here just for questioning. She wanted Usagi to feel tortured. 'This is for the humiliation in front of his Excellency,' Une thought, a victorious glint in her eyes.

Once there were a sufficient amount of wounds, she ordered drugs to be injected into her bloodstream, drugs that would loosen her mouth.

"What is your gundam, and where is it? Who made it?" Une demanded. "Where are the other two pilots, 03 and 04?" (2)

Usagi still refused to talk, or to scream from the continuous lashing of the whip. She lost count of the number of injections as needles kept sticking into her, invading her senses.

The last thing Usagi remembered were those eyes behind Une's glasses, and the feel of blood dripping down from her wounds…

-

Trowa wasn't sure if it was safe to be the one to carry Usagi back to the cell with the three most deadly assassins in the room, two of which were very protective over the girl in his arms. After all, one look at the shape of the poor girl… anyone would be willing to kill.

Trowa opened the door to the cell with a heavy heart and walked in. Placing the unconscious Usagi gently down on the bed, which Wufei had thankfully abandoned, he turned around, only to be blocked by his three fellow pilots.

"Move," Trowa quietly commanded.

Duo was the first to move, going to the bedside, staring at the beaten body of his sister. "God of Death, she's got a hell a lot of wounds. Please tell me there were no drugs." Methodically, he began to shred the bed sheets into strips for bandaging.

"…" Trowa gave a small glare at Wufei and Heero who still blocked his way. Finally, Wufei relented, sitting back down.

"Trowa."

"Heero."

"Give me one damn good reason why I shouldn't break your neck," he demanded flatly.

Trowa made no response, just as Heero made no move to carry out his threat.

"Why are you doing this?" Heero finally questioned.

"There are things that can be done behind enemy lines" was the simple reply.

Heero eyed the silent soldier. "This is the last time Usagi leaves this room without me or Duo, understood? If you fight me, then you're my enemy."

"Acknowledged," Trowa said emotionlessly and left the cell.

* * *

USAGI'S DREAM 

"Usagi…"

A voice was calling out to her.

"Serenity-hime."

That same voice, it sounded vaguely familiar.

She couldn't see anything; all was shrouded in a swirling gray mist. "Where am I? Who are you? What do you want?"

"Usagi-hime!"

"Usagi!"

Still that same voice, and she still couldn't see a figure to go with the words. Wait, there…a tall figure, holding a staff of some sort. "Usagi…!"

"Who are you? What do you want?" Usagi repeated. She suddenly realized who the person was. Dr. M, only in a weird sailor's outfit and an extremely short skirt, holding a tall key-like staff. The scant light glinted off a garnet orb resting in the key ring.

"I'm Sailor Pluto, the guardian of the Time Gates, Serenity-hime."

"I'm not a princess. Please stop calling me that, Dr. M."

"But you were. I want to tell you that there's a past of you beyond the time when you were born as Serenity Maxwell." Pluto made to continue, but Usagi cut her off short.

"No…I…I don't know why, but something's telling me that I shouldn't hear this, not right now. Maybe another time, when my mind and body isn't that preoccupied. I can't heal that fast."

"With your memories, you can," Pluto said quietly. "With your memories comes the revival of your powers. Your body as has ability to heal instantly."

"But that's the problem. If I heal too fast, everyone will think that's strange, so I need to heal as fast as the human mind may allow."

Pluto nodded. "You've grown wise since the last time we formally met, hime. Your mother would be very proud. Very well, I shall not return your memories of your previous life. However, I will tell you one thing. Beware of the Romefeller Foundation. Tell this to the first woman you see once you wake up, all right?"

"Sure, no problem. Except that I'm not a princess."

"You were in your past lives."

"That was then, this is now. This time, I was born into a priest's family, a very loving family, and I like the way my life has been headed so far, thank you very much."

Pluto raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, sure I didn't like the fact that I'm an orphan and the only family left is Duo. My only friends are the most dangerous pilots in the Earth sphere, and I just received 50 lashes to my body and too many shots of drugs. Yes, my life is perfect, for me."

"If you say so, hime. Why don't I just clear some of that drug out of you body; it seems to me that mouth of yours is still loose."

Usagi just nodded, and sighed. How could one be exhausted in one's dream? The woman who called herself Pluto touched Usagi's forehead and evoked Saturn's magic inside Serenity's hidden self. The lashes became shallower and the entire drug was purged from her bloodstream. Usagi began to think more clearly.

"Thank you, Dr. M, you've been most kind to me."

"Don't mention it, hime. You're waking up now, I'm sure Trowa has brought some things for you… And please watch over Quatre, will you? He's been under a lot of strain lately."

"Mission accepted."

And Usagi woke up.

* * *

REAL PLANE 

A groan stirred Duo into wakefulness. Just as he fully opened his cobalt blue eyes, Usagi's sapphire ones opened. "Sere!"

"Duo..." Usagi tried to sit up, but a sharp pain in her back stopped her. "Ow…Duo…how long has it been?"

"Not too long, the three of us managed to bandage the wounds the best we could, but we don't have any disinfectant…"

"Usagi."

Usagi gazed into Heero's prussian blue eyes. "H… hai?" she stuttered quietly, trying to sit up.

"Don't move. We need you to heal as fast as possible if we're going to get out," Heero instructed, placing a calloused, but gentle hand on her shoulder.

"What do you propose we do?" Wufei asked. "It's not as if we have access to the gundams."

"I hid 'Death' and 'Dragon' on the moon. The good doctors should be giving them a check-up as we speak," Duo said slyly.

"Sh!" Heero hissed. Footsteps became audible. Trowa. "What?" Heero demanded coldly.

Trowa said nothing but slipped in sterile bandages and hydrogen peroxide for Usagi's wounds.

Duo made motion to grab them, but Heero stop him. Duo gave him that look. 'Why?'

'Because, for all we know it could be a trap,' was the only thing readable in Heero's eyes. A slight rustling movement from the bed captured all four boys' attention.

"Thank you," Usagi whispered, rather hoarsely.

Trowa just nodded and left.

Heero finally grabbed the first aid supplies and re-tended to Usagi's wounds, bandaging her cuts firmly. Usagi would have thanked him, but she slipped unconscious in the process.

-

When Usagi woke, Wufei was meditating while Duo snored his head off. Heero was sitting Indian style, back to the wall, his eyes closed, probably contemplating how to bust out of the base and getting Usagi some medical attention.

"Heero…did anything happen while I was out" Usagi asked, still lying flat on the bed.

Heero looked up, his face impassive. "Iie. It's only been two hours. How are you?"

"I feel perfectly fine, if not just a bit sore. See." She sat up and clambered off the bed, waking up Duo.

"Hey!" Duo complained. His eyes opened to see blond hair, sparkling blue eyes, pink lips, and a blood-stained t-shirt. "Oh. Sere. What are you doing out of bed?"

"I feel perfectly fine, as if all my wounds were healed…" Usagi's eyes widened. _"Your body has the ability to heal instantly"_ Dr. M had said. She ripped off the bandages around her stomach, and sure enough, there was not a scar on her body. "Well, I guess I do heal pretty fast…" She looked up at the astonished eyes of the three and sweatdropped. "Hey, I was just following orders, right? Heero told me to heal fast so we could get the hell outta this place."

Heero shrugged, he'd let it go. It happened before, in training, her healing in less than two days. But never cuts this severe…

Duo couldn't believe his eyes. Two days ago, his sister had a beaten to pulp, and now, it looked as though she had never had a single cut in her life. Even when they were back at the church Serenity's wounds never healed that fast! 'But the bullet wound…' he recalled. 'What sort of training can do this? Or is it something else?'

Wufei, however, was not like the other two, keeping their silence. "What happened onna? I saw your wounds two hours ago, and now they're completely gone. As a matter of a fact, while Heero was wrapping them, I noticed they already seemed slightly healed, much sooner than the two months that's expected from OZ questionings. How did you do that?"

Once more, Heero had to shush him up once he heard Trowa's footsteps nearing. "What is it this time?" Heero growled when Trowa's face came into view.

"Pilot 01, 06, out," he said simply.

"Why? What's going on?" Usagi asked, just finished dressing in the navy blue button-up T-shirt and khaki pants Trowa had thoughtfully left for her.

"Usagi, you're up," Trowa said, mildly relieved. He had a feeling that Lt. Une had specially ordered this excursion to wear down the female gundam pilot.

"Yes I am," she replied, slightly grouchy. "Now tell me what's going on."

"There's an unidentified MS attacking. The three of us will go out."

Heero flat out shook his head. "Negative. Usagi will not come. It's too dangerous." His hands against her shoulders, he gently pushed her back into bed. "You just got out of bed. You don't know if you're fully operational yet."

Trowa objected. "My orders were clear, to take pilot 01 and 06."

Standing back up, almost into Heero's chest, but she refused to submit. "I'm perfectly fine Heero. I'll go." Usagi turned to face Duo's aghast face. "Don't worry so much about me. I can take care of myself."

"Hn." Heero grunted in disbelief. "Like that time you…"

Usagi quickly slapped her hand over Heero's mouth and successfully hid the flush creeping up her pale face. "Heero and Trowa will take care of me, if need be."

Duo snorted. "Heero? Mr. Perfect Soldier? He'd better." Duo glared at the person in question, who glared back.

"Duo…" Usagi's voice had the beginnings of a tremble. With a show of sentiment and affection, the brother and sister shared one last hug, both desperatelytrying to mask their sadness.

"Onna, I don't know what goes on in your mind, but I think you're insane. You just managed to stand up; can you pilot a MS too?"

"Wufei, pilot of Nataku, its Usagi, not onna. And have more faith in my skills."

* * *

HANGER, OZ LUNAR BASE 

"Barton, next time I ask you to retrieve prisoners, make it snappy!" Une demanded.

"Understood, ma'am." He said softly, his green eyes dull.

Lt. Une quickly led them to the hanger. "Trowa, you take Vayeate!" she ordered, pointing to the blue MS. It was equipped with minimal defense, but with a powerful beam cannon. The soldier saluted and approached its cockpit.

"01, take Mercurius." She pointed at the red mecha, Vayeate's sister with minimal offense, but strong defense, including planetary disks. "06, you're in the Taurus." Usagi glanced at the white and purple space Taurus, assessing the mecha: it had agility and a small beam cannon, but that's about it.

"No."

Une stiffened. "Remember your position, 01. I do believe you are the prisoner here."

"You're not putting 06 in that weak MS," he stated monotonously.

Usagi shot him an incredulous look. "What?" His piercing gaze locked with her eyes before she let out an insufferable sigh.

"I'll self-detonate if anything happens to her. And all take this damn base along with me," he threatened emotionlessly, but beneath the front, Usagi could tell he was irritated.

The lieutenant clenched her fist to suppress the urge to just strangle the boy. "Fine! I have no other MS!"

"I can fit into the cockpit of Mercurius with 01," Usagi reasoned. "He won't self-destruct if I'm in the cockpit."

Trowa raised his eyebrow. This girl can stop Yui from self-destructing?

Lt. Une looked like she was seriously considering the suggestion. "Fine. Trowa! Make sure she doesn't prove to be a problem."

Trowa nodded before slipping on his helmet and zipping up the pilot suit.

As Usagi left for the lockers, she remembered Dr. M's words.

"_Tell the first woman you see…"_ Lt. Une!

"Oh, I almost forgot."

"What is it, Tsukino?"

"'Beware of the Romefeller Foundation…"

Before Une could question her of what she meant, Usagi was gone.

**MERCURIUS! VAYEATE! SCRAMBLE!**

"Lt. Une, do you think it's safe to let those two gundam pilots go?" a soldier asked his superior.

"Yes, it will be fine, even to our advantage. Besides, who else can pilot that MS other than Trowa. Anyway, we can self-destruct the MS from here and we have their friends, and the girl's brother," Lt. Une tartly replied. "But look at that MS. It's gotten through almost all of the MS Taurus defenses, and still is coming on. There's something strange about that MS…"

* * *

PRISON CELL 0249, OZ LUNAR BASE 

"Wufei, please tell me you don't have that same bad feeling that I have," Duo pleaded.

"Something's going to happen, and I know I won't like it," Wufei replied, taking in no consideration for the pilot of Deathscythe's feelings.

Duo moaned at the disconcerting news. 'Serenity…!'

* * *

SPACE SURROUNDING OZ LUNAR BASE 

"Heero, it's got to be Quatre" Usagi told him, watching the ensuing battle in front of them between MS and MD. Heero grunted in reply. Just then, Trowa sent them the same message.

"Let's join him," Trowa said.

"Wait. We don't know if he's on our side," Heero objected.

"I'll go check it out," Trowa replied. Vayeate zoomed off towards the attacking MS.

-

Usagi suddenly saw a vision of a glowing white feather, pushed down by a sparkling tear, into a lake of gold.

-

"Quatre. This is Trowa, do you read?"

"Uh, yea Trowa, I read you," Quatre's voice answered him.

"Quatre…" Trowa said, a slight smile on his face. Then he noticed that Quatre just shot his buster rifle at him. Just managing to dodge out of the way, he shouted "Why! Quatre? What was that for?"

Quatre gave an insane laugh. "Listen, Trowa. With this Wing Zero, I will eliminate all the madness is space." He shot again. "Destroying all weapons is my mission. The colonies will be militarized so I'll destroy them too!"

"What happened to you Quatre? You're crying?" Trowa asked, concerned. "Are you okay?"

"Tell everyone to stay away! Or I'll kill them all!" Quatre raved, breathing heavily.

"Quatre," Trowa said, setting a goal in his mind.

'Wing Zero…wings…crying…just like my dream…' Usagi thought, standing to the right of the seat, hanging on to the padding as she let Heero steer the Mercurius freely. It was then when she realized that Quatre's eyes had a gold glow to it. Something was corrupting his mind!

Heero had just gotten himself in a position right above Quatre. He shot down with the beam gun. "Are you done talking?" he demanded. "Because it's time to fight!"

Sometimes Usagi wondered if Heero really did enjoy the intensity of battling… but then, the adrenaline rush she felt when battling Zechs on Earth felt nothing short of exhilarating and wonderful.

The two MS, Mercurius and Wing Zero, went into a headlong crash with their beam sabers out in front.

* * *

PRISON CELL 0030, OZ LUNAR BASE 

"Wing Gundam Zero. We modeled the five gundams out of the strongest one," Professor G explained.

"I never thought that Quatre would actually manage to finish it. He just came in and demanded to install the Zero system in the gundam," Instructor H said.

"If the boys went as out of control with the Zero system in the first place…" Dr. J trailed off, not wanting to complete his thought.

"The Earthsphere would have been destroyed," Master O finished for him.

"The new MD Virgo will be in production soon," Dr. S said. "We should make our moves soon."

"Heero! Correct the world of its wrongs" Dr. J ordered.

* * *

SPACE 

"Quatre! I'll kill you" Heero yelled, slicing down at the opposing Wing Zero.

**Author's Notes:**

(1) Not unlike Sakura's dreams in Cardcaptors Sakura.

(2) Une doesn't know that Trowa is a gundam pilot


	6. Threat of the Mobile Dolls

Chapter 6  
_Threat of the Mobile Dolls_

SPACE, NEAR OZ LUNAR BASE

"Quatre! I'll kill you!" Heero yelled fiercely.

"What?" Quatre maneuvered Wing Zero to block the oncoming blows. "Damn!"

"I don't care what happened to you, Quatre!" Heero declared. "If you fight me…"

Quatre swung up his beam saber to attack the Mercurius, however, Mercurius' own saber rose to meet his. "Damn!" he swore again.

All this while, Usagi desperately clung to the seat as the pilot skillfully swerved around Wing Zero. She had never seen Heero so upset before, but a) it was the first time he experienced betrayal, from a comrade like Trowa no less, and b) it was a long time since he had a proper fight to vent out all the anger than had accumulated. (1)

"You're my enemy!" the Perfect Soldier all but screamed.

"My family was killed right in front of me," Quatre cried, grabbing his twin buster rifle.

"Heero! He's got…" Usagi gasped.

"A twin buster rifle!" Heero's eyes widened. He tried to get out of the way, but something wasn't right with Quatre's aim.

It was too precise. It was like Wing Zero knew where they were going to move.

"You have no idea about how I feel!" Quatre fired the beams, nearly obliterating the Mercurius. "Ha, ha… I want revenge…from this crazy world… For my family…for me…" Quatre said weakly, yet strongly insane. Tears still streamed from his gold-hued eyes.

Usagi grit her teeth as she watched the beam impact; her nails dug into the seat as she felt the power blast through their suit. Heero's azure eyes met hers, and she couldn't help but sighed in relief, knowing both he and she were alive. 'Quatre,' she thought. 'Stay focused. Quatre's still out their, raging and rampaging…'

"Why fight when you know the vanity of revenge, Quatre," a soothing voice asked, "if it only deepens the scar in your heart?"

"Serenity?" The gentle voice brought Quatre out of his…insanity, tears dripping from his now sapphire blue eyes. He stared at the decimated MS.

"Even Mercurius' Planet Defensor couldn't deflect the awesome power of the twin buster rifle…" Heero said. "Your Gundam won… However…" Heero dove down at the unmoving Wing Zero. "I'm going to take you down with me, coward!"

"Heero! No!" Usagi tried to stop him, grabbing onto his arms, but it was too late. "Quatre's…!"

"What? No! Stop it!" Quatre cried, his instincts telling him to fire the buster rifle in his hands. Without knowing it, his hand pulled the trigger…

Suddenly, the quiet Trowa dashed over, and knocked Heero and Usagi out of the way, taking in the full blast of the twin buster rifle. Usagi's eyes widened. "Trowa?"

"Trowa!" Quatre's anguished cry must have been heard on the other side of the Earth sphere.

'Quatre, you're too nice, don't put yourself in a fix,' Trowa's voice rang through the wretched boy's head. 'You don't have to cry alone…'

And Trowa was gone.

**KABOOM! **

Quatre burst into a fresh wave of more tears. "Oh Trowa! I'm so sorry…I made a hopeless mistake…" he sobbed.

"Trowa?" Heero called through the radio link. He received nothing but static. "Do you read?"

"Trowa…!" Tears rolled out of Usagi's eyes. 'So this is what my dream meant… This is why I was crying…'

"Heero…Serenity…"

"Quatre…?" Heero asked, looking at the figure that had just gotten out of the cockpit of Wing Zero.

"You can kill me now…" the distraught boy whispered, his hands out wide in a submissive position.

"Heero…?" Usagi asked, wondering.

"Hn…Let's go," Heero opened the hatch to space.

The two pilots slowly made their way over to the figure standing on Wing Zero. Heero carried his gun tightly in his hand.

'Father…' Quatre thought, hoping to meet him in heaven.

The bullet never came. Instead, it was Heero slamming into him gently, like a hug. "Heero?"

Usagi joined the group, hugging the two of them.

"Serenity…" A small, unsteady smile ventured to grow through Quatre's tears. "I'm glad we're still friends."

"Trowa's not dead, Quatre," Usagi whispered. "He's still out there somewhere…"

Quatre just closed his eyes, the last of his tears trickling down his worn and weary face.

* * *

COMMAND CENTER, OZ LUNAR BASE 

"We've captured the gundam, it's on its way," an officer reported to Lt. Une. "Also, Trowa is missing."

"That's unfortunate, he was a good soldier," Une said, not sounding as if she cared at all.

"The MD are almost finished in productions," the officer indicated. "They'll be ready in 3 hours."

"Excellent, station them around the colonies. They'll be here to welcome General Treize." Une smirked, almost as if pleased with her work.

"You will send the MD to Earth, Lt. Une," a harsh voice commanded.

"Tubarov? The General has not issued any such order!" Une objected.

"Treize's time is over. He is no longer in power," he sneered, remembering the look on Treize's face when he was taken under custody. "From now on, OZ and everybody else will be under Romefeller Foundation's control!"

'_"Beware of he Romefeller Foundation…" _Tsukino was right…' Une thought, shocked. "You've been using us!"

"You and Treize did a wonderful job getting rid of the Alliance for us, Lt. Une. However, Duke Dermail would not tolerate having a man like Treize to do as he pleases," Tubarov said, satisfied with the livid face of Une.

"I will not tolerate speaking of the General in such manner!" Une said, pulling her gun out of its holster.

Too late, Tubarov's own pistol was out and two shoots rang out.

"Ugh… General…" The proud Lieutenant fell onto the floor, her red uniform stained darker as blood seeped through two separate bullet wounds.

"Shame," Tubarov said, no trace of pity in his voice, "she did such a good work getting the colonies under OZ control. Oh well, it's time for the Romefeller Foundation to rise."

Beeping emitted from the computers.

"What?"

"Sir! There's a disturbance in the MD factory!"

"Report!"

"Two unidentified MS are destroying all the MD!"

* * *

MD FACTORY, OZ LUNAR BASE 

"Deathscythe's not bad for an unfinished gundam," a chuckling God of Death told his accomplice, slashing through the immobile MD. "Let's pay these guys back for our time in the can!"

"Right. Let's go. OZ! Remember this! Nataku is revived!" Wufei's MS was now different with new armor and weaponry, buthe still called it Nataku. Instead of it's original name of Shenlong, its official name was changed to Altron. Its flamethrowers were just as, if not more, powerful though.

"We'll be back!" Duo sang cheerily as the two MS finished their work of destroying the MD factory.

The two gundams quickly fled the Moon base.

* * *

PRISON CELL 0030, OZ LUNAR BASE 

"Looks like Duo and Wufei have successfully escaped," Master O said, watching the computers in their prison lab.

"They turned the plant upside down. They're not going to be using it for a while," Dr. J agreed.

"But it only delays the production of the MD just by a little bit," Dr. S pointed out.

"However, it should be enough time for the pilots to recuperate. The use of Gundam Zero is questionable, but the MD are just out of the question! An unmanned robot should not kill humans!" Instructor H declared.

"Absolutely," Professor G agreed. "A war with remote-controlled MD is just a game!"

"Humans give war meaning by risking their lives," Dr. J explained. "But MD just kill without emotion! The souls of the humans killed by MD would only drift around in vain," Dr. J continued. "Gundam pilots! Don't let these dolls be!"

* * *

After the Romefeller Foundation gained control of OZ, they ruled the Earthsphere as the UESA ( Alliance) did before. Treize's remaining supporters battled the Foundation army at different places. 

The world entered a new war age, an age of war with the MD, Romefeller versus Gundam.

Speaking of the Gundam, OZ captured Wing Gundam Zero, but there was no pilot capable of controlling it…

* * *

COLONY L2 

_"Transform! MS mode!" The Wing Zero obediently changed from bird mode to the powerful MS. _

_"What power! This guy is totally out of control!" OZ MS pilot Trant declared, sweating with exhaustion as Wing Zero constantly banged into the space debris. He couldn't pilot it. "Can a human really handle this!" _

_"Enough! Stop! What kind of superior MS is this! It's useless it you can't operate it!" _

_"Commander, give me more time," Trant implored, "I'm sure can learn to handle the Gundam." _

_"You'll do that, Trant," Tubarov told him harshly, "Or you'll be out of here with that gundam! We don't need pilots or piloted gundams anymore. It's the time for MD." _

"Damn it! I'm gonna prove myself!" Trant said, kicking around trash at a junkyard, brooding over yesterday's failure. "I'll be out of this tiny miserable colony!"

"Welcome back, Trant!" a cheerful voice greeted him. A girl with dark blue hair with an adorable face came up to him, carrying a box.

"Hilde, are you still selling junk? Give it up!" Trant said scornfully.

"Why don't you quit OZ and live here with me?" Hilde asked.

"I'm a Gundam pilot!" Trant said forcefully. "I'm not gonna do a pathetic job like this!"

"On yeah? I think working at a junkyard is more respectable than being a pilot," a guy wearing a black baseball cap and dark sunglasses walked in, a bunch of boxes loaded onto his cart.

"Say what? Who the hell are you?" Trant demanded.

"Duo!" Hilde exclaimed.

"I just started working here," Duo said, his braid swinging mischievously behind him.

"Humph, fool! You work hard while I get famous in space!"

"Trant…" Hilde said in despair.

'You're the fool,' Duo thought, gazing at him through his shades, watching him leave. 'You're not gonna make it as a gundam pilot.' He started walking towards a door. "Piloting a Gundam has a special meaning," he said out loud to himself, opening the door. "Am I right… Deathscythe?"

There were boxes in this room filled nearly to the top of the extremely high room. This room was probably a transport hanger at one point. If you looked carefully, you could see the top of Deathscythe's head peeking through the top of the boxes. He slipped off his sunglasses, staring up at his gundam lovingly. "The gundam won't work with you unless you're prepared to self-destruct!" There was a slight grin on his face as he recalled the most infamous pilot. "I wonder how Heero and Serenity are doing."

* * *

Speaking of Heero and Serenity… 

Since the Romefeller Foundation worked on deploying the MD, they were no longer interested in the gundam pilots. Heero, Usagi, and Quatre were unceremoniously "dumped" on Earth

* * *

SANC KINGDOM 

"Ooo! Real gundam pilots! I can't wait! Thanks for making a my wish come true, Grandpa!" a girl with long, pale blond hair and creepy eyebrows squealed into the vid-link, showing Duke Dermail, head of the Romefeller Foundation.

"I still don't see what you want with Gundam pilots," the aging man replied. "It's the time for MD now. What's the use for pilots?"

"I just want to see them fight," Dorothy Catalonia replied silkily, a sly smile gracing her pale face. "Real Gundam pilots, I'm so excited!"

* * *

ENGLISH COUNTRYSIDE 

By a large, lonely apartment, a large truck pulled up.

In the top floor of the building, Heero sat devotedly in front of his laptop, tapping furiously away at the keys.

"What are you looking up, Heero?" Quatre asked, bringing two cups of steaming coffee from the kitchen. Usagi came out right after the blond pilot, sipping from her own cup of coffee.

"OZ MD stationings," he replied.

"You're going to fight again?" Usagi inquired, placing a hand on her hip.

"It's all I know how to do," Heero said, typing furiously, hacking into a Romefeller mainframe.

"Heero," Usagi said, sitting on the desk next to his laptop, "there's much more to life than just fighting. It doesn't have to be the only thing you know how to do."

"The destruction of the MD is top priority, Usagi," Heero said shortly.

Quatre shook his head, placing a cup of black coffee made the way Heero liked it, on the other side of the laptop. "You're tough Heero, I can't bring myself into that kind of mood… After trying to kill you, Serenity, and Trowa in space…"

"I tried to kill you too. We all just got carried away. Forget about it," Heero scanned through the map he found.

"Don't worry about the past, Quatre. What's done is what's done, we can't help it anymore and there's no point in dwelling over it," Usagi told him. "The only thing we can to is work towards a better future."

"Thanks," Quatre whispered.

"Whatcha got there, Heero-kun?" Usagi asked, leaning over to peer at the screen. Quatre looked over Heero's shoulder.

"Treize's army is fighting an MD troop around here," Heero explained, zooming in and out on areas, opening all sorts of informative windows.

"It's a Sanc Kingdom ally, but it's been dragged into a war," Quatre indicated, frowning.

" Sanc Kingdom?" Heero questioned.

"You know, Peacecrafts? Relena's going to be there," Usagi answered.

'Peacecraft… Relena…' Heero thought, taking a sip of his coffee.

There were two sharp knocks on the door. All three right hands immediately were placed on their guns. "Who's there!" Heero demanded.

The door opened. "I finally found you, Heero Yuy," the woman said, entering.

"Who ar…" Quatre started to say, but was cut off by Usagi's greeting.

"Sally! What a nice surprise!"

"Usagi! You're here? Is Mil…?" Sally started to ask, but then stopped at the shake of Usagi's head.

"Quatre, Heero, this is anti-OZ activist Sally Po," Usagi introduced.

Heero gave a curt nod in recognition, remembering the sandy-blond haired fighter. Even still the same twisted pigtail braids fell own the same dusky green vest.

"What are you doing here," Quatre asked, still slightly suspicious.

"I came to deliver a few things that were left behind…"

* * *

SMALL NORTHERN EUROPEAN COUNTRY

An MD battle rocked the area…

"Here comes the second wave! Get that MD!"

"Show'em what ex-Specials can do for General Treize!" Since the arrest of Treize Khushrenada and rumored murder of Lt. Une, OZ had split into a "Treize" faction, and the Romefeller faction.

Former OZ troops fought for Treize again the MD Virgo stationed in the area.

"What an accurate formation! What speed! That's what an unmanned machine can do!" a pilot wondered from within his grounded MS Leo.

A white jet zoomed in nearby the battle.

"Cease fire immediately!" her strong voice rang out. "Leave this country out of the war!"

Relena sighed. "Get in closer, Noin! We're too far away!"

"That's too dangerous," the older woman objected. "Besides, MD are just machines, they can't listen."

"What a weapon. I can't believe they would use them against civilians," Relena said, "This must end."

"What?" Noin said, alerted by a beep from the console. "An MD is closing in on us!" Noin tried to pilot the plane out of the way, but it was too late, the MD had its target locked on. "Damn!"

Suddenly, a beam blasted out of nowhere and destroyed the MD.

"Wing Gundam!" Relena exclaimed.

Heero and Usagi made quick work of the MD, Wing Gundam guarding Relena, and Gundam Twilight helping out Treize's soldiers. They recognized Tsukino, the ace fencer, now a gundam pilot, and took orders from her.

Very quick work, indeed.

Once the MD were decimated, Heero and Usagi landed their gundams. Heero immediately leapt from the cockpit, and landed solidly on two feet in a crouched position.

"Mission accomplished," were his only words.

Usagi quickly followed him, dropping down to ground level, taking a rendezvous with the ex-OZ Specials. The OZ Specials on Earth tended to be the ones she had worked with while undercover on the OZ Fleet.

"Usagi… Heero… " Relena whispered, amazed at her once classmates.

"They destroyed the MD so easily. They're good," Noin stated.

"No…they're great," Quatre said, a smile on his face.

Relena walked up to Heero. "Heero… It's been a while…"

"Relena…" he acknowledged, turning his gaze from watching Usagi reunite with former companions.

"I missed you," she said, hugging the boy, "I missed you so much!"

Usagi looked at the couple, a flash of jealousy striking her eyes for only a fleeting second, then it changed to a look of amusement at the…face Heero was making.

But Usagi wasn't the only one watching the two. Dorothy stood quite a distance away behind a tree with a pair of binoculars. "How dramatic! Princess Relena of the pacifist nation and a Gundam pilot! Almost brings a tear to my eye," she said, loving it. "I've got to see them fight! This should be good!" the girl told herself, wiping a fake tear from her face.

* * *

UNKNOWN LOCATION ON EARTH

In the meantime, a new type of Gundam, the 7th gundam, was close to completion at a secret factory.

'You want a master, too, don't you, Gundam Epyon?' Treize mentally asked as he oversaw the finally stages of constructing the powerful MS.

Powerful enough to rival the legendary power of Wing Gundam Zero.

Treize smiled. This would prove to be an interesting challenge for the Earthsphere.

* * *

BACK OUT IN SPACE…

Zechs, Howard, and others plotted to subvert the MD in their transition from the colonies to the Earth.

"Wow! That's what you'd expect of an ex-OZ ace pilot!" a worker commented, watching Zechs easily destroy the MD carriers in the Tallgeese. "No ordinary human can fight MD like that."

"You bet," Howard replied. "You should have seen him and Usagi, they were matched stroke for stroke. They're a new type in this world. They're the hopes of ending this war."

"This is all the help I can give right now," Zechs whispered, the last of the MD destroyed. "Stay safe, Serenity. And reconstruct the Peacecrafts for me, Relena."

**Author's Notes:**

(1) Heero had figured out Trowa's plan a while ago. He just wanted to make sure in the last chapter when Trowa returned Usagi to the prison cell after interrogation. I mean, come on, what kind of a teammate would do that to you?


	7. Trouble at Sanc aka Evil Zero System

Chapter 7  
_Trouble at Sanc aka The Evil Zero System_

PEACECRAFT ACADEMY, SANC KINGDOM

"Students of the nobility of peace," Relena announced from the front of the classroom, "I'd like to introduce you to our new friends."

"I'm Quatre Raberba Winner" Quatre said, a nuance of a blush gracing his face, slightly smiling. He gave a slight bow.

"Usagi Tsukino," Usagi said, her voice flat, eyeing one of the girls. She straightened her jacket, inwardly muttering how stiff it was. The first time they had gone to school together with Relena, the uniforms had been much better. Relena had even made sure that Usagi wore the two bows in her hair, which was back into heart-shaped odangos. Such useless accessories made Usagi feel like a little girl, not the fierce Gundam Pilot she had become.

"Heero Yuy," Heero said, obviously still uncomfortable with the uniform. His eyes searched through the crowd of students, wondering what he was to expect from the duration of his stay at the Academy, which, he hoped, wouldn't be too long.

"Oh, Heero!" a certain obsessed blond wench whispered to herself. She ignored the glare Usagi sent her. "He's cute!"

-

First class break, of course they would hack the computers. "Hm… Duo seems well situated at a junk yard," Usagi muttered as she scrolled through the Peacecraft database. It contained updates on all Earthsphere news, census, and employment records. (1) "Wufei… last transaction in a L5 dojo for MS parts…"

"Sounds like their touching up on their gundams," Heero said plainly.

Usagi nodded, before looking at Quatre's screen. "Trowa Barton, last contact at point L3-0X. His death is unconfirmed," Usagi read over his shoulder.

"This network hasn't got his data yet, either," Quatre indicated, a hint of sadness in his voice.

Usagi slightly frowned. "But he's not dead. I know he's not dead. A gundam pilot does not die that easily. Look at Heero! He survived a self-detonation that destroyed a Gundam. Trowa's got to be alive!"

"…" Quatre was still heavy-hearted about his actions.

"The Peacecrafts have the best database available. We just have to wait," Heero said, leaning against the edge of the table. Usagi joined him, sitting up on the table next of him.

"Relena welcomed us in, so, we can stay and wait as long as we want," Usagi said, smirking at the slight emotion flickering in Heero's eyes. With a light air, she played with the end of one of her pigtails. "I think it's quite nice. She's not a bad girl, you know. Maybe just a little naïve."

"But can we trust her?" Quatre asked.

"Trust? I've never trusted anyone," Heero stated flatly.

Quatre looked at him in slight admiration. Usagi just sighed, shaking her head. "Yes, gundam pilots definitely have trust issues," she grumbled under her breath.

"You haven't changed a bit, Heero." A new person that Usagi didn't recognize had joined their little group. "Her Highness was sincerely worried about you."

"That's none of my business, OZ officer," Heero retorted, though Usagi could detect a hint of an acknowloging smirk. So, Heero approves of, if not trusts, this woman.

"Ex-officer. I work for Sanc now." She walked over and held out a hand to Usagi. "I'm Lucrezia Noin" she said warmly.

"Usagi Tsukino," the gold-haired girl replied, shaking the woman's hand firmly.She pulled the name from her memory."Milliardo spoke well and often of you."

Noin looked startled. "You know Zech's identity?"

Usagi nodded. "You could say he trained me a bit while we were both on Earth at Howard's base. Our first and only mission together required us to use our original identities." Usagi gave a short laugh. "I told him in the beginning that I wouldn't be able to call him a Peacecraft with a straight face, considering how deadly he was in his Tallgeese, yet after that mission, I haven't been able to stop calling him Milliardo ever since."

Noin smiled. "He has that mysterious effect. I'm glad you liked him. But if you weren't originally Usagi Tsukino, then who were you?"

"I was once called Serenity Maxwell," Usagi told her.

"You're the sister of 02 then," Noin concluded.

"Affirmative."

"This country is under reconstruction as a pacifist nation by Princess Relena," Noin said, changing the subject, opening the conversation to the other two pilots. "I'd appreciate your help very much."

"We're Gundam pilots. How can we engage in peace activities?" Quatre asked gently, reminding them all that they were tainted from the war.

"Do you expect us to fight for peace?" Heero asked, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye, a smirk gracing his lips.

"I don't believe absolute pacifism is the same as non-resistance," Noin said. "That man didn't come back because of Relena's position."

Usagi nodded her head in agreement. "That's true. Because of this kingdom's importance, it will need the best defense." Quatre and Noin murmured agreement while Heero gave her a calculating glance, his smirk gone from his face. "However, the existence of this nation has become a symbol of peace," Usagi stated. "Won't it become defiled with Gundam pilots here?"

"It's dangerous for us to stay here," Quatre firmly stated. "We're supposedly at the top of the OZ's most wanted. When Duke Dermail realizes his mistake of releasing us, he's going to send waves of MS and MD down here to the heart of Sanc."

"You do have a point. Being a pacifist country, it would be a political failure if Sanc militarily retaliates," Noin conceded, "but Sanc must not fall at all costs."

Heero walked tow the open window and leaned out, gazing at the peaceful area. "I don't care about Sanc. If OZ attacks, I will fight," he stated firmly. "That's my mission."

-

Down below, behind a tree under the window…

A certain blondie was starting through binoculars. "I found him! My Heero," She leaned against a tree, not noticing that Usagi had joined Heero at the window and was staring right at her. "Well, let me see you fight now, my knight…"

-

'That girl… what is she doing? What does she want?' Usagi rummaged through her mind and found a name. 'Dorothy Catalonia… hm…'

"Dorothy Catalonia, she's the granddaughter of Duke Dermail, right?"

Noin nodded.

"There's something weird about that girl…"

"Don't worry about it, Relena's quite taken with her friendship. She's no obstacle with this," Noin replied.

"Oh really? Because she's not that bad of a spy… She tracks Heero better that Relena does." She couldn't help but grin a bit at Heero disgusted face, knowing that he had two stalkers. 'So, she's made fast friends with Relena…'

"Well, I don't know about Dorothy, but there are two other things I'm worried about," Quatre stated.

"About what? OZ?" Heero asked, turning away from the window.

"Gundanium alloy has been secretly carried to an OZ facility on Earth," Noin supplied.

"Gundanium alloy?" Usagi voiced. "Is someone trying to make another Gundam?"

"What's the other one?" Heero demanded, his voice deadly soft. I mean, what could be worse than OZ building another Gundam?

Quatre looked serious. "Wing Gundam Zero is now in OZ' hands," he stated clearly. "Including its internal system called Zero System."

* * *

OZ BASE ON L2 

"Zero System… It analyzes battle data and programs its response directly into the pilot's brain," Professor S remarked from within the hanger-turned-prison.

"If it works well with the brain, the MS capacity goes up several times," Dr. J told him. "But I doubt an average pilot can start the system. We made this one differently, if you remember. The system would manipulate the mind and severely disable him. Look at what happened to Officer Trant."

Trant had just gotten out of the MS after running a test. He looked terribly thin and gaunt and there were bags under his blood-shot eyes, his face was pale and clammy, covered with drops of sweat. He took in great gasping breathes as he leaned against the wall for support on the way out of the hanger.

"He can't handle it," Professor G scoffed. "It even drove Quatre crazy."

Dr. J watched Trant stagger out of the room. "Zero will act as a pure demolition machine unless the pilot can overcome anger and fear," he said. "It's too dangerous."

-

"Damn it!" Trant cursed, throwing his piloting helmet on the ground as he plopped wearily into his chair. "What am I gonna do" he asked himself, totally frustrated. "If I master Wing Zero, I can be a Gundam pilot!" He started scanning through the OZ databases for information. "Maybe a Gundam pilot can tell me how…"

After several minutes of typing…

"What?" Trant exclaimed, almost shocked, staring at the image of a smirking Duo Maxwell. "That's the guy I saw at Hilde's!" He came up with what he considered the most devious plan. "He's gotta know something about Gundam…"

* * *

COLONY L2 SPACE TERRITORY 

"We're close to the problem territory! Stay alert!" the head of a team of Leos warned the rest of his co-pilots.

"Investigating numerous missing cases sounds tough, sir," a pilot said.

"Well, there are a lot of rocks and remains around here. Probably just accidents," the leader reasoned, accessing the positions of the floating debris.

"Death came back to life," a mysterious pilot grinned, well hidden in stealth. "Today's prey, three loose Leos."

"Something is closing in, sir! Communications are jammed!" one of the pilots panicked.

"Here it comes!"

The gundam destroyed the three MS with one stroke of his double bladed green scythe. "Sorry, but I need you for parts. My Deathscythe Hell isn't quite finished yet," Duo Maxwell mock apologized as three explosions went off.

"Duo!" a cheerful voice rang over the radio. "I came to pick up your junk!"

Duo recognized the voice and the shuttle zooming in. "Thanks for coming all the time, Hilde. I feel bad."

"No problem Duo. You're a good supplier," Hilde reassured. "Besides, you…"

A loud beep from Deathscythe cut off Hilde mid-sentence.

"Stay back, Hilde! Six MS approaching," Duo grinned eagerly for some fun, and flew towards the incoming MS.

"What? That's… a Gundam! Is that Wing Gundam Zero!"

"We meet again, Duo!" a familiar voice rang out on the radio.

"Impossible! You're an OZ pilot?" Duo asked, narrowing his eyes.

"You can call me Trant, the OZ Gundam pilot," the officer snapped arrogantly, stressing his new-found status. "I wanted to talk with you, Gundam pilot to Gundam pilot."

"Then I've got nothing to say," Duo replied saucily.

"Uh-oh…! I wouldn't move if I were you," Trant warned teasingly, moving his weapon of choice into position. "My Twin Buster Rifle is awfully powerful. It can blow up the colony behind you."

"Kusoyaro" (2)

"Now, now Duo… watch you're language. Wouldn't want anything to happen to your precious L2, now, would you?" Trant asked, his voice maliciously taunting. "Come on, Duo, come over and sit in my cockpit. Make one funny move and the MD Taurus will destroy the colony."

"Humph! All right," Duo relented, gritting his teeth. Without further ado, he exited Deathscythe.

"Trant!" Hilde yelled. "What do you think you're doing?" she demanded, approaching the two men in a pilot suit. She floated up and landed on the platform.

"Hilde? This has nothing to do with you," Trant said.

"What are you going to do with Duo? Don't do anything stupid!" Hilde pleaded, hanging onto Trant's arm.

"Shut up! You don't understand my position," he spat, his gun pointed at Duo.

"Hilde, you better stand back. This is getting too dangerous," Duo cautioned, concerned for his friend.

"Come on Trant! Don't do this! You used to be so nice when we were little…"

"Shut up!" Trant rages, shoving Hilde roughly off of the platform.

"Whoa!"

"Hilde!" Duo's voice sounded strained.

"Get in, or I'll kill her too," Trant threatened heatedly.

"Taeme…" Duo cursed. (3)

Wing Zero roared to life with its replacement pilot, Duo Maxwell.

"What do you want with me?" Duo demanded, positioning himself as comfortably as he could in the cockpit with Trant breathing down his neck.

"It's easy. Just fight those MD with Wing Zero here."

"Do you realize if I don't, you'll die too?" Duo shot.

"Of course," Trant said as calm as can be, having already calculated the possibilities. "That's why I programmed the MD, so they'll attack the colony after destroying Zero."

"Well then, seems like I've got no choice then," Duo said. He grinned. Despite all the warnings he had gotten about Wing Zero and the insane Zero System, he'd been itching to try his luck. "Here we go!" Duo started out with one of Zero's sabers, knowing the colony was too close to use the other weapons.

"Huh? What's this on the display?" Duo's eyes widened as a gold flash nearly blinded him.

"Zero System's turned on!" Trant exclaimed, his eyes wide with shock.

"Ugh!" Duo felt as though something was penetrating his mind. "What the hell is this?"

Duo gave a small yelped, but then grew dangerously calm, except for the unearthly gold tinge in his eyes. "Now I see it."

Flashes went through his brain, calculating the positions of the MD and already, in his mind, destroying them. He glared at the vid-panels, and suddenly slashed at in MD, destroying it. "Wha…? I saw an enemy come from behind!" he exclaimed, destroying another. "What's happening to me?"

Suddenly, in the part of his mind that was enhanced by Zero, but not taken over, realized the awful truth. "This gundam controls my mind!" He slammed a fist on the arm rest. "Damn it! Where's the self-destruction switch?" he crazed, banging on the console. "I'm gonna blow this guy up!"

"Stop! You've destroyed all the MD!" Trant cried. "That's enough!" He dealt Duo a swift punch in the stomach, effectively knocking him out of Zero's gold control. "You're useless! I'll do it myself!" Trant threw Duo out of the cockpit.

"Wing Gundam Zero can enter the human mind…" Duo gasped to himself as the said gundam began to fly away. The Zero-induced adrenaline still coursed through his body, making him feel weak and silly. "What a rush…"

"Are you all right, Duo?" Hilde asked from within Deathscythe.

"Hilde? Yeah, I'm hanging in there…" Duo said a bit tired.

"What happened, Duo?" Hilde asked as Duo strapped himself back into his own gundam, internally happy that it wasn't Wing Zero's cockpit. "What happened to Trant?"

"The devil's stolen his soul," Duo grimaced. Shinigami was one thing, but Satan's a _whole_ different story, even if he didn't believe in Christianity. "We've got to stop him soon, or he'll be in too deep."

Hilde stepped out of the cockpit as the platform into the gundam shut.

"I'll be back to get you, Hilde. Stay here," Duo instructed.

"Help him for me!" Hilde yelled as she watched Deathscythe Hell fly off in pursuit of Trant.

Trant had a relatively large head start on Duo, and was now weaving perilously through space debris.

"Mmm…" he groaned. "I still can't see it." The Zero System was only partially activated, but Trant was wasted and mad enough to be under its control already.

"Wait up Trant!" Duo yelled as Deathscythe Hell closed in behind the Gundam.

A flash went through Trant's mind and Wing Zero moved.

"He dodged me?"

"I saw it! I saw you move!" Trant laughed madly. Now, the Zero System fully activated, and into full battle mode.

"Stop it! Stop the system right now!" Duo demanded, desperation in his voice as Deathscythe Hell and the Wing Zero clashed with scythe and beam saber.

"I see it! I see you getting shot by the beam!" Trant raved. "I'm the best Gundam pilot!"

"He'll get me!" cried Duo, sensing Wing Zero locking on target: the newly repaired Deathscythe Hell.

Suddenly, the gundam stopped all motions.

"Hey…Trant?" Duo asked, suspicious. "What's the matter? Trant? Answer me, damn it!"

But it was too late.

"I told you to stop," Duo said, his voice choked up with tears. "There's a limit humans aren't supposed to pass."

"Fool!"

* * *

DREAMSCAPE

Once more Usagi was floating above the glowing black lake, shrouded in darkness except for the frequent flashes of gold spiraling around her. On her back, two wings protruded, but it was different from last time. This time, one wing was the pure white feathered angel wing, glowing brilliantly in the darkness. The other, was a demon bat-like wing, not unlike those of Deathscythe, giving a dark purple radiance. She was crying once more…

Before, she didn't know what her dreams had meant, but this time, she understood. Duo was sad… Her brother was crying… because of Wing Gundam Zero and the deadly Zero System… someone must have done something horrible when he had gold-tinted eyes…

* * *

COLONY L3

"A circus troupe is in town, guys!" a kid told his buddies.

"Come see us!" Catherine said, decked out in her circus uniform and make-up, handing out flyers to the next show. A young man walked up to her, his reddish-brown bangs concealing what must have been the left of his shocking green eyes. "You!" she cried, shocked. "Trowa! I never thought I'd see you again!"Grabbing his shoulers, he shookhim gently, as if to make sure he was really there.

"Is that my name?" the boy asked slowly. "Who are you?"

"Trowa… Have you lost your memory?" Catherine asked, horrorstruck.

* * *

COLONY L5, MS PLANT

"Isn't there anyone stronger? Wufei demanded, sending another fighter smashing down into the ground. "Try and beat me!" he demanded, kicking the attacking warrior. "That's not good enough to beat a Gundam pilot!" The onslaught of Chinese martial artists never ceased.

'That's right. I have to get strong. If I'm strong, then I will be worthy to pilot Nataku again.'

* * *

BACK ON EARTH, THE OLD CASTLE UNDER OZ CONTROL, WHERE GUNDANIUM HAS BEEN SECRETLY BROUGHT IN

Heero infiltrated to investigate, and found a man in a cage.

-

Little did he know that Usagi had also come to pay a little visit to the base…

She had ridden Twilight over here, and even for a MS the size of a Gundam, she was not stopped at from entering. She found that not only strange, but unnerving.

-

"Treize Khushrenada," Heero said, finding the proud ex-general standing in the library. He raised his gun.

"How did you sneak in? Did you come to kill me?"

"You pose no threat to me now," Heero said in a monotone, the safety of his gun clicking off. "But I have no reason to keep you alive, either."

"My, Heero Yuy, you have very good eyes," Treize said in a caustic way, his comment causing Heero's eyes to widen in memory of Dr. J telling him the same thing. "But then, I wouldn't miss the world with MD in it. Maybe my death would be much better?" he asked, raising an elegant eyebrow. Just then, Usagi chose to walk in on them, her gold braid swinging cheerfully behind her.

"Heero?" she asked, wondering if they were here on the same mission. Then she noticed who the gun was pointed at. She quickly stepped between the barrel and its target. "Hello, General. I wasn't expecting to find you already being threatened with a gun," she greeted amicably, though her back was to him. Heero, who was facing Usagi, was glaring at her.

"What do you mean already? Did you mean for you to be the one holding the gun?" Treize asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"I'm not sure… Depends on how much cooperation I get," Usagi admitted. "But for now, consider this payment, for what you've done for me in the past, especially saving me from her."

"She's much better now, quite nice if I should say so myself," Treize told her.

"Yes, I have already seen her. She was the one who told me where you had been cooped up," Usagi informed him.

"Then you two aren't going to be at each other's throats anymore? So I don't have to separate you two anymore?" Treize teased.

"Nope!" Usagi replied, almost happy to a light giddiness. "See how much better life can be when there's no conflict?"

Heero, was lost in this conversation.

"Humans evolve from conflict, Usagi," Treize told her sternly. "It seems our generation is slow in learning that."

"But think of all the people who have died, Treize. How much have they evolved in their precious short life?" Usagi asked quietly. "Must their precious lives be sacrificed unwittingly and even unwillingly?" There was an uneasy period of silence, which Heero finally broke.

"Usagi," Heero commanded, his gun still trained on Treize, or now Usagi since she was obstructing the path. "What are you doing here?"

"Well… I wanted to know who was behind the Gundanium shipment," she said. "Besides, I can come visit General Treize, can't I?"

"He's the enemy."

"Negative," Usagi said, mocking him. "He _was _the enemy. He no longer poses a threat now, since the Foundation's MD is a much bigger problem."

"He's still the enemy. Once an enemy, forever my enemy."

"Heero, sometimes you need to take on another perspective," Usagi said, shaking her head. "Treize isn't that bad. He saved my head a couple thousand times from Lt. Une. He knew from the very beginning that I wasn't a normal OZ soldier. He knew that I was the one working with the Gundams, yet he never told. He even saved my life from a bullet," Usagi said, gratitude in her voice.

"It doesn't matter, Usagi," Treize said. "Heero, if you're going to correct the Romefeller's folly, I'm quite willing to fully cooperate with you."

Heero clicked the safety of his gun back on and lowered his arm. "What can you do from your cage? In a place isolated like this?"

"Many things can be done from a cage like mine, Heero. I can provide information critical to the survival of the Sanc Kingdom," he said carefully. "I have something you can use. It's in the basement. It was completed not too long ago," he added slyly.

"It's made of Gundanium, isn't it." It wasn't a question.

"Affirmative. A brand new Gundam… Epyon."

* * *

A FEW HOURS LATER

SANC KINGDOM

After receiving Dorothy's reports, the Romefeller Foundation's MS troops circled the Peacecraft's castle.

"Sanc Kingdom! Hand over the Gundam pilots!"

"They'll destroy this country, Miss Noin. I'll turn myself in without Heero!" Quatre told her.

"Wait! That's not what Princess Relena wants! We will fight if we have to!" Noin argued.

-

OUTSIDE

"Come out and fight, Heero!" Dorothy called out.

But it wasn't Heero who came out.

It was Relena. All decked out in a princess's dress, her crown proudly placed on her head.

"Her highness!" both Dorothy and Noin said at the same time.

"Who the hell are you?" the Romefeller soldier demanded from inside his Leo.

"Welcome to Sanc Kingdom," Relena greeted, giving a polite curtsey. "I am the head of Sanc Kingdom, Princess Relena Peacecraft," she stated firmly. "You're invading a sovereign nation"

"What the…" the soldier muttered under his breath.

"We have no business with you! Leave immediately!" she commanded imperiously.

"Wake up, Princess!" the soldier said scathingly. "Your peace is just a dream!" The soldier opened fire on her.

Either this soldier was missing on purpose, or his was completely incompetent. "Drop your weapons! I will not tolerate your brutality" Relena declared, unscathed by the barrage of bullets. "I am the symbol of peace! Relena Peacecraft" (4)

-

"Oh no! The princess is in trouble!" Noin cried, turning away from the window, unable to watch Relena die in such a battlefield. "I'll borrow Wing Gundam!"

"Wait!" Quatre said. "What are those MS?"

"What?" Noin asked, startled.

-

Two MS landed, back to back, in the middle of all the MD.

Two beam sabers flared to life, on from Twilight, and one from the Epyon.

"Stand back, Relena!" Usagi yelled, noticing that the princess was standing right in the middle of the mess.

"Ikimasu," Heero ordered. (5)

"Ryoukai," Usagi replied automatically. "Let's kick some MD ass! Just like the old days, ne?" The two of the slashed into the MD, destroying multitudes of them. Okay, destroying all of them. But the Epyon had only displayed a fraction of its power.

"Heero!" Relena asked, staring at the MS. "Usagi!"

-

"It's Heero and Usagi!" Quatre yelled with joy.

"Is that a new Gundam?" Noin asked, staring at the awesome destructive power of the Epyon. Its power seemed to rival the infamous Wing Gundam Zero.

-

Dorothy, on the other hand, was far from being pleased. "That's it? Just explode? How boring…" Her gaze hardened as she watched Usagi jump out of Twilight. 'So, she's a Gundam pilot?'

Just then, Dorothy got a phone call. "Hm? What is it Grandpa?" she asked. "What? Get out of here right away? Why? You're dropping an asteroid on Sanc Kingdom!"

Dorothy immediately made preparations to leave, but not before Usagi caught her.

"Well well well, seems like our little spy is going somewhere," Usagi said, her voice wheedling. "Care to tell me where?"

"I'm just leaving…" Dorothy stuttered. Usagi tightened the grip on her shoulder. "I honestly don't know where. Grandpa just told me go get out of here."

"And, care to tell me why? Why would the Duke and Head of the Romefeller Foundation all of sudden desire his precious granddaughter to get out of one of the most well protected places on Earth?"

"…" The grip tightened painfully. "He's dropping an asteroid on Sanc,"

Usagi let out of the girl, almost in shock. "Nani? Heero!" she yelled, pushing Dorothy away, looking frantically for her partner.

Heero ran over, a bit startled. "What?"

"Duke Dermail's dropping an asteroid on Sanc!"

"Mission accepted." Heero glanced at Usagi, who nodded in agreement. "Let's go."

They dashed for their gundams, afraid that if they waited any longer, they might not have enough time to accomplish their mission.

The two got in to their gundams, Twilight and Epyon. "Transform! M. A. mode!" Two gundams shifted into their flying mode and took off.

**Author's Notes:**

(1) Err… how very convenient, ne?

(2) Kusoyaro along the equivalent of goddam bastard

(3) Taeme something Inuyasha likes to call Kouga (in other words, a very rude form of "you")

(4) Um…this is kind of lame for Relena to say, but that's what was in the English version of the manga, so…ya…

(5) Ikimasu let's go


	8. Relena aka Gundam Team is Formed

Chapter 8  
_Relena aka Gundam Team Formed_

ATMOSPHERE ABOVE SANC KINGDOM

The meteor grew larger in perspective as the silver and black Twilight and dark crimson Epyon flew up to meet it head on, transforming back into MS form. Quickly, Usagi and Heero cut off their gundam's main thrusters and started to free-fall with the meteor. (1) Epyon's piloting system alerted Heero of something not quite normal for a meteorite.

"What? They're MD carriers in disguise," he informed Usagi.

"Nani?" Usagi zoomed in on the radar and noticed that the meteor indeed was merely a front and was now breaking up into MD carriers. Her crystalline eyes hardened. "No matter, the mission's still the same. They'll be destroyed."

"Hai." The pair quickly set to work once the MD pilot systems recognized the gundams as targets. But something wrong was going on in the cockpit of Epyon…

A particular system activated…

"I won't let any of them get away!" Heero declared in an unusually crazed way.

'Heero?' Usagi wondered. Her hand nearly slipped from the controls when the insanity of Heero's mind became palpable and she noticed the gold tinge in Heero's eyes. 'Could it be the Zero system?' Her hand touched her pocket, reminding her of the disk that Treize had given her while Heero was inspected the new Gundam.

_"If Heero has any problems with the Epyon, I want you to activate this. This disk has all the information that you will need."_

'Treize was so cryptic, but he's never misled me before… I guess I might as well give this disk a try.' She slipped the disk into the slot at the base of Twilight's main console. Immediately a screen of Treize popped up. "Treize."

"Usagi, if you have activated this disk in Twilight, then I surmise that Heero is having that bit of trouble. You see, I have installed the Zero system into Epyon. I believe that in order for Heero to reach his full capabilities, he must learn to and utilize the Zero system." Usagi couldn't miss the glimmer of amusement within the elegant man's eyes. "But, as Milliardo accurately predicted, Heero can't handle it."

Usagi stared at the screen, stopping fighting. "What?" she asked, horrified.

"However," Treize continued, "if indeed this disk is being activated in your Gundam, the Zero system will be installed into Twilight. I believe that if he is to succeed using the Zero System, he may need a bit of help. I received an email from my dear friend Milliardo saying that you have the potential not to need training to be able to utilize the system."

-

Right at this point, Heero was indeed going rather insane and, just as Treize said, was becoming corrupted by the system.

'Annihilate them!' 'Fight' the system pounded into his head. He was almost done with all the MD and the carriers. He didn't even notice that Usagi had stopped battling the MD and moving all together.

-

"What? If Heero can't utilize the system, what makes you think I can! I'm nothing compared to him!" Usagi furiously slammed the eject button, but the disk remained in the console. Another small window popped up. "Downloading… 15… 30… 50…" Usagi was furious. "Damn! Is every move I make still under Treize's control? I may respect him and his decisions, but this is just too much!"

"Download, complete…"

"Now since the download is completed, I will leave you, Usagi, no, Serenity. Stay safe, and I have given you the power to activate the Zero system. It will not activate by itself. Now, go help Heero. Mind you, you'll have to fight him." The windows of Treize and the downloading sequence blinked out.

Usagi sighed with relief, but couldn't help muttering"baka Treize, baka system" under her breath. She realized that Heero was done destroying the MD. She opened a link to him. "Heero." No good, his eyes were still gild with madness.

-

"Where's my next enemy?" Heero asked himself, his eyes a golden blaze. A beep told him that someone wished to contact him. He opened the link.

Heero stared at the woman who opened a communication link with him. "Usagi." Her eyes… they held so many secrets, but also so much worry and compassion… for him?

"Are you all right?"

"Do I look all right?"

"Not really."

"Then I'm not all right." Heero's hands clenched the controls tighter as Gundam Twilight inched forwards. His eyes closed shut, his face deathly calm. Her eyes… he couldn't stand the look of them anymore. "Stop. Don't come any closer, or I'll consider you a threat to the mission."

"What?" Usagi asked, puzzled. Heero was never like this to her. Then it hit her. That damn Zero System, just like it did to Quatre! It ignited the battle-lust inside of him, distorting his persona, even towards her. "Heero! You've got to fight the Zero System! You can't let it control you like that!" Twilight and Usagi took another step towards Epyon and Heero.

His golden eyes snapped open. "My enemy!" he declared in a crazed way.

"Heero! Fight it! You're stronger than that! Don't tell me you let the system control you! Only the weak are controlled by machines and computers!" Usagi yelled. "Stay strong, Heero-kun! Don't be controlled by something like this!"

Unfortunately Heero wasn't listening and attacked. It took all Usagi had to block the Epyon's moves, but even then the damage was heavy.

-

At the corner of each of Twilight's screens, a short five digit code appeared: TZ3R0.

'I refuse to activate the Zero system. Battle-lust begets battle-lust, not peace. Treize, I will prove you wrong; _I can help Heero without this system_.'

-

"Don't fight! Heero! I'm not your enemy. The Zero System tells you what to do, not who to fight. Stop it Heero!" Usagi cried, passionate to the point of tears. She was going to have a hell of repairs on Twilight, but she refused to fight back. "I don't want to fight you! _Heero!_"

Heero couldn't take his eyes off the crying woman in front of him. Her eyes… her tears… they held fear, yes… not fear for herself, he realized, but for him…

Suddenly, the Epyon fell limp.

"Heero?" Her heart leapt when she saw his normal Prussian blue eyes return. Twilight transformed into M.A. mode and grabbed hold of Epyon before they crashed into the ground.

"Ungh… Gomen…Usagi… I almost… lost control…" Heero murmured. He watched Usagi nod in understanding. He pressed his hand against his head. "Why… did…Treize put… the Zero… System…in this… Gundam…?"

* * *

MEANWHILE 

OUT IN SPACE

Wing Gundam Zero had been taken under a new wing…

"We have recovered Wing Gundam Zero," a voice boomed over the communication system. "Take it to the maintenance deck."

-

…by Zechs and the others on the space mobile fortress, Peace Million.

-

"Hm? Looks like someone tried to destroy it," Howard commented in his raspy voice, studying the slightly battered MS. "Judging from the slash marks, and who's still out in space, probably Duo." 'The idiot,' he mentally chided. 'And such a good MS too!'

"Can you repair it, Dr. Howard?" Zechs asked him.

"Of course! Have a little faith in my skill," Howard told him.

"That's good to know," Zechs replied. "But why…"

"We really shouldn't keep Zero, but you've already surpassed the capacity of the Tallgeese," Howard explained. "You need a powerful MS like this."

"Can I handle that Zero System?" Zechs asked him.

"I don't know. But if you think Usagi can, then you probably can…" Howard sent Zechs a calculating look over his sunglasses. "…because you're a new type."

"I'm nothing special. I just try as hard as I can," Zechs informed him, sincere. "I want to protect Earth from the Romefeller Foundation."

"That's the important thing. You know what to protect and what to fight," Howard said. "As long as you keep your mind stable, the system won't control you. Besides, you grew up and, like Usagi, trained on the Earth. For some odd reason, all our test pilots from Earth did better than any of the test pilots from the colonies."

Zechs shot him a surprised look, then one of concern. "What about the Gundam boys who grew up on the colonies?"

A mysteriously regretful smile passed over the wizened technician's face. "They still have a lot to overcome…" Howard told him.

* * *

SANC KINGDOM, PEACECRAFT ACADEMY INFIRMARY 

"Ow!" Heero gasped. "Ugh!" He lay in pain on the bed, his teeth clenched and face pale and covered in sweat. Usagi gazed at him, anxious and mentally flinching as each spasm passed over the boy. She slowly wiped away the sweat accumulating on his brow with a cool towel.

"The drug should relax him soon," Noin said, injecting anesthetics into Heero's arm. "I can't believe a fighter like Heero could be in such pain."

She slowly washed the towel in the sink before briefly checking his vital stats on the EEG monitor which continued to show dangerously irregular levels of brain activity. "He's still fighting the Zero System in his mind…" Usagi whispered sorrowfully, unconsciously smoothing out her skirt. She had changed immediately after she got back as Noin had informed her that if any of the professors caught her in her fighting suit, she'd be toast. 'Dammit Treize! Do you know that you might have pushed Heero-kun to insanity?'

Quatre put a comforting hand on Usagi's shoulders. "Noin, I think we'll…"

Suddenly, Usagi sensed presence behind the door and warned Noin with her eyes of a possible intruder. Noin saw a crimson flower fall to the ground next to the door frame.

"Who's there?" Noin demanded.

Dorothy popped into the doorway, in her hands a large bouquet of crimson and magenta flowers. "Excuse me? I heard that Heero was sick," she said with a bright smile. "I came to see how he's doing."

"He's doing fine," Usagi told her coldly.

But Dorothy ignored her. "Here! Take these flowers!" Dorothy cheerfully said with a smile, shoving them into the hands of a surprised Quatre.

Quatre sweatdropped. "Oh, gee, thanks… I guess…"

"Take care, Heero! Bye!" Dorothy sang on her way out.

'Something's not right with this girl,' Usagi thought to herself, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. She was shaken out of her thoughts when Dorothy slammed the door on her way out. "Dermail's spy," she muttered bitterly under her breath.

Noin shook her head and sighed. "I'd like to ask you a favor, Quatre."

"Huh? What is it?" Quatre asked.

"I finally located Trowa on a colony in L3," she told him.

"He's alive?" Quatre asked, surprised. "I'm glad." He gave a soft, sorrowful smile, his eyes hardening so he wouldn't start crying as he glanced down into the mass of crimson and magenta pink flowers that he had just placed on the counter.

"Oh Quatre… That day brought upon you so much pain," Usagi murmured inaudibly.

"But he has a problem…" Noin said, her face shadowed by her long bangs not unlike that of the pilot they discussed.

"A problem?" Quatre demanded, his eyes full of concern.

"Trowa had floated through space after he battled with you," Noin clarified."When they found him, his brain had been deprived of oxygen for long. When he recovered from his coma, he had no memory of who he was or where he was from."

"Oh…! It's all my fault!" Quatre said. "I have to go see him."

"Maybe seeing you would bring back his memory, or at least trigger some part of it…" Usagi said thoughtfully.

"That's what I was hoping. It would be great if we could help restore Trowa's memories, and we would also have gundam pilot 03," Noin said. "But Quatre, he's not the only one I want you to bring back."

"What?"

"You mean you're going to bring Duo-kun here too? And Wufei?" Usagi asked, excited to see her brother again. "Duo said in the last email he sent me that he finished his new Deathscythe Hell."

"Yes, I want you to bring Chang Wufei and Duo Maxwell to Sanc Kingdom as well," Noin told them. "We'll form a gundam team here to protect this growing country."

-

OUTSIDE in the gardens of the Peacecraft Academy…

Dorothy was strolling along quite peacefully, listening to every word that the three were saying inside having planted a small transmitter in the vase of crimson and magenta flowers she pushed into Quatre's hands.

Dermail's spy indeed…

-

"Joining forces would prove to be most effective…" Usagi admitted, "but wouldn't the knowledge of all of us here taint the status of this pacifist Kingdom?"

"Yes, Usagi has a point there. Won't Relena disapprove of it?" Quatre inquired.

"The princess does not know of it yet," Noin stated firmly. "Her highness would not approve of having all six of the gundam pilots here, even if half of them already are. However, the union of all of us will give the Sanc Kingdom the best defenses."

"It's not as if OZ and Romefeller haven't been gathering their forces," Usagi muttered darkly. "They've been positioning more and more MD closer to the Sanc Kingdom."

-

Dorothy just had to smirk at this, barely catching the comment.

-

"We have to make a move before it's too late. It's either now or never."

"I agree," Quatre said. "It won't hurt to gather a force to defend the Sanc Kingdom. This kingdom and Relena are very likely targets for the enemy."

"It's done then," Noin said decisively. "We'll gather a gundam team here, in the Sanc Kingdom."

-

"Excellent, Noin," Dorothy purred silkily. "All the gundam will be in one place." She looked up at the sky, her hands spread out welcoming. "Come to me, gundam!"

* * *

Quatre headed off to space to bring back Trowa, Duo, and Wufei, determined to find them all, no matter how evasive Wufei or Duo could be. 

In the meantime, the cured Heero, Usagi and Noin set out to recover the two Gundam left on Earth, other than the Epyon, Wing and Twilight. Gundam Sandrock was restored by Maganac Corps and Sally Po had kept Gundam Heavyarms.

Originally, since Noin wanted Heero to stay and guard Relena, she had assigned Usagi to retrieve Heavyarms as she, herself, would go get Sandrock. However, Heero had other ideas.

* * *

SANC KINGDOM 

"Usagi."

"Heero," Usagi greeted, smiling. She was just about to enter the hanger to go meet Sally. "Is there something wrong?"

"I want you to take my place and stay here with Relena."

"Why? That is your mission," Usagi reminded him.

He winced a little. "I know, but I think Relena would prefer to have a girl accompany her anywhere."

"Oh, really? I thought she is your stalker. Wouldn't she be happier to be with you?" Usagi smirked.

"Usagi…" Heero growled menacingly. "You can afford to get to know Relena better. Besides, you know better than to question me."

"Humph. Fine. Be that way. Tell Sally 'hi' for me."

Heero raised an eyebrow. He hadn't been expecting such…toleration for the request. He had heard last time of how infuriated Usagi had been last time she had to "baby-sit" Relena. Not to mention she rarely listened to him anyways.

"No, I don't feel like arguing with you today. Mission accepted. I'll watch over Relena for you."

Heero looked at Usagi softly, giving her a rare small smile, his way of saying thanks.

* * *

COLONY L3 

"Trowa!" Quatre cried, seeing the face of his stoic companion. "I'm so glad to see you again! I…I…" Quatre nearly burst into tears, a slight blush gracing his face.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know who you are," the tall clown said calmly, still in his face mask and clown costume as the show had just ended.

"That's all right. You have to come with me and you'll remember," Quatre informed him, his eyes drying.

"No!"

"Catherine?" Trowa questioned. He felt worried, never have seen his sister look so distressed.

"Trowa is my family now! He's not going anywhere!" she stressed, stepping in between Quatre and Trowa, pushing the former away. "You're one of the gundam people, aren't you?"

'Gundam…' Something sparked in Trowa's mind and memory. "I'm going, Catherine. I feel like I have to," Trowa told his sister, removing his half-clown mask from his face.

"Trowa!" Catherine exclaimed, tears coming to her eyes. "Do you wanna be alone again?"

"There's more at stake than just my happiness," Trowa said, giving a minute but gentle smile to his older sister.

"I'm sorry… Thank you… But you must come back, okay?" she insisted. "I'll be waiting for you," Catherine whispered.

Trowa gave a nod and left the circus, dropping his clown half-mask with the yellow-starred eye and crimson smile.

* * *

SANC KINGDOM 

"Hello Miss Relena," Usagi greeted, stepping into the stately office.

"Please, Usagi, it's just Relena," the blond girl replied, folding her hands in front of her after gesturing for her companion to sit.

"Relena then. You wanted to see me?"

"Yes… I was wondering where Noin and Heero have gone. I haven't seen them for a few days. I wanted to talk to Noin about some plans for renovating some landmarks in Sanc, and some of the boys here were complaining that they wanted to challenge Heero in fencing."

"Oh… well… Miss Noin wanted to…" Usagi hesitated a bit, no doubt caught by Relena, "take a small vacation and visit some of the Sanc Kingdom allies to make sure that they weren't being pulled into battle again. As for Heero… who knows where that reclusive person has gone off to. I can't keep track of that boy. He'll show up in time for trouble though, you can count on that. If the boys want someone to spar against, they can wait in line. Your brother claimed first dibs."

Relena was satisfied with the answer, but only just. "All right. I hope they will be back soon though. I'll inform the boys that they need to wait. Or could they challenge you to fencing…?" she asked, knowing that Usagi must also know how to fencing, being a gundam pilot and all. "Though isn't handling a sword a bit un-lady like?"

"I'm a gundam pilot. What's so un-lady like about holding a sword?" Usagi asked, a bit miffed.

Relena stifled a giggle. "Forgive me. I didn't mean to insult you. It's just that, with my bringing up, girls weren't supposed to do rough stuff like that… "

"What was life as the precious daughter of the ForeignMinisterlike?"

"You don't want to know. My life was so stiff!Alwaystravelling, but never staying long enough to enjoy a vacation...

"ButI knew there was something dark in my past. I remembered these horrid nightmares of screaming and crying people, and lots of flames. I rarely spoke, but I was always thinking. Then all the MS activity came home, to St. Gabriel. I think I met Heero there… he was always silent, like myself. I met Zechs Merquise too. He rescued me from a kidnapper of some sort. But I didn't like him, then, that much. He scared me with his gun. He called me a princess. He knew that I was a Princess. And he told me he was a prince of the stars. And he was my own brother!"

Relenasighed. "Both of them were so strong, so I decided that I should be stronger, like them. I started speaking my thoughts and participating in debates and politics then… and then, everything just happened… Although…" Relena trailed off.

Usagi nodded for her to continue.

The champion of pacifism had a look of wistfulness in her eyes. "Even though I'm a princess of a kingdom, I have to be a princess of a pacifist kingdom. I don't even know how to defend myself. I always depend on others for security" she said with passion. "I just hate feeling helpless."

'She wishes she could fight like Heero and Milli-kun…' Usagi suddenly realized. "I can teach you if you want. Come on, let's go down to the field." Usagi pulled Relena out of her chair and dragged her out of the office.

"Usagi!" Relena laughed. "Slow down!"

Usagi grinned. She might start liking her mission. She stopped by her room to grab her sword and an extra one for Relena and then ran outside. In the Sanc Kingdom, it would have been rude to wear a sword visibly, having a belt sheath, especially since bore the OZ crest that Treize had presented to her.

Relena was out of breath by the time they reached the field where it was suitable to practice. Usagi grinned. "Come on, Relena, don't tell me you're already winded!"

Relena scowled, but then laughed. "I haven't run like that in years! It feels good to be able to just run again!"

Usagi couldn't help but smile. Relena wasn't as bad as a person Heero made her sound like. She was actually really nice and caring, but someone desiring to escape the political world. "Aw… Relena-chan's gonna get her dress dirty!" Usagi teased.

Relena giggled. "Now I know why Noin always wear's pants. Weren't you going to teach me how to fence?"

"Of course." Usagi got into the proper stance. "This is how you should stand when facing only one opponent straight in front of you. Hold your sword out in front of you in a firm grip, but not too tight. Place you fingers around the hilt like so..." Slowly, she demonstrated the proper hold, rotating her wrist so her student could see the way her fingers curled around the metal shaft.

Relena tried to imitate Usagi, watching her tutor carefully.

"The most basic attack is to lung forward. Put a little rock into your step, and keep your knees loose."

Relena complied, but her movement was a little shaky.

"Give it a little swing," Usagi encouraged.

"Like this?" Relena sliced down, but the tip of her sword landed in the grass. She wrinkled her nose. "Ugh. This is hopeless. I can't do this. I'm a pacifist. I shouldn't be learning how to hold a sword. What if there's some reporter hiding in the bushes?"

"Give it some time," Usagi gently told her. "Besides, every person has a right to learn how to defend themselves. And if there's a reporter sneaking around, I would know. Besides, I like to think of using a sword not as a form of aggressive fighting, but as a dance. Watch."

Usagi spun of with her blade, her golden hair just out of reach of the sharp edge. The glinting blade never touched the ground and remained in smooth control. The sword whistled passed in a silver blur, never faulting. Usagi used the delicate footwork she had learn while she was training under Dr. M, sometimes making flips and cartwheels, sometimes even throwing her weapon into a graceful arc into the air. Relena watched on in wonder, admiring the skill of the female warrior.

All too soon, the dance was coming to an end. Surprisingly, Usagi threw her sword one last time into a glittering arc of death, but she didn't catch it. Instead, it landed at the feet of the very boys that Relena told her had desired to challenge Heero. "State your name and business."

The three boys were startled. "I'm… Mamoru," the boy with midnight black hair. "And this is my twin Misaki, and the blond is Andrew."

Misaki was a little bolder than his brother. "We wanted to challenge you to a sword fight," he stated clearly.

"Why," Usagi said, feigning hurt. "You come to me after you can't find Heero? I feel like I'm only the second. There's always Catalonia, you know."

Andrew gave a slight blush. "Dorothy's scary," he said a bit timidly, handling Usagi back her sword.

Usagi burst into laughter. "Can't say I disagree with you on that one."

She sheathed her sword. "As much as I'd love to take your challenge, I must refuse," she said, her face downward, remembering happier times of fencing with Milliardo and Heero. "Maybe after Heero comes back or after I'm…" She turned to face the crimson sunset trying to recall if she ever had dueled just for the fun of it, "free… If I'll ever be free."

Mamoru sniggered. "I think she's scared," he muttered to his pals.

Usagi froze at that comment. Scared? Never, not a Gundam Pilot. Though she wasn't Wufei, she had her pride. She spun around to face the three of them. "I dare you to say that one more time."

"I think she's scared," Mamoru repeated rather loudly. He soon found himself staring at the point of Usagi's sword.

"You're on. Or do you need your two friends to fight with you?" Usagi sneered. "Though it wouldn't matter. I could take the three of you blind-folded."

"Please," Relena pleaded. "No more fighting. Wait until class tomorrow."

"No," Usagi said coldly. She wasn't about to let these three weak boys get away with this. Megami-sama! She was starting to sound like Wufei. "I'm sorry about this, Relena-sama, but…"

Relena's eyes softened at the determined spirit of her newest friend. "It's okay, Usagi-chan. I understand. The fencing room should be free now."

"Great," Andrew said a bit shyly. "We can have our matches there."

"Now," Usagi stated, her tone icy. Relena inwardly shivered. So this is what all that training for war had done to the six of them. It turned them into heartless warriors. Well, maybe not Quatre… but Quatre had been in training for merely two years whereas the others had been training for much longer.

Usagi walked off towards the building where all the sports events were held. The three boys stared at her retreating form, then at each other, shrugged, and followed the blond-haired girl. Relena sighed. She might as well go watch. She started the walk towards the fencing room.

The air inside the room was stifling with animosity, especially between Mamoru and Usagi. Darts of electricity flared between the adversaries' eyes. "So," Usagi started, "One on one? Or do you admire my skill so much to have a three on one battle?"

"You couldn't take the three of us," Mamoru scoffed.

"You wanna bet your life on that? You'd be surprised," Usagi stated calmly. "Lesson one: Never underestimate your opponents," she dictated mockingly as she sized the three of them up. (2) They had a good body build, but they could never match up toWufei's, Heero's, Zechs's, or even Treize's skill.

Misaki scowled. "Don't teach us what we already learned."

"Oh? So, you know that rule! Utilize what you know, and that may give you the upper-hand in this match, especially if it's a three on one," she slyly said.

"Do you want us to fight you three on one, or something?" Andrew asked bluntly.

The corner of her mouth twitched. "The more, the merrier; that's what my brother always said. It wouldn't be that difficult." Usagi smirked at the red face of Mamoru. Hah, served that egotistical jerk right!

"You're mine!" he growled.

Usagi held her sword in a Chinese fighter's stance, crouched on one foot, the other extended in front of her, her right hand holding the sword straight by her head, pointing towards the extended forefinger and middle finger on her left hand directly in front of her face. "Bring it on."

Someone in a dark corner of the room smiled cruelly at the fire in Usagi's eyes. "Let the games begin," she whispered.

Mamoru charged Usagi, driving his sword straight for her chest. Usagi feigned blocking him, and suddenly sidestepped the guy, spinning around and delivering a sharp blow with the flat of her blade at his back. "Fool. Anger and fury often cloud the senses," Usagi said disgustedly. She eyed Relena. "Now do you see why we're like this? Even Quatre can seem cold and distant at times. Reckless emotions just get in the way."

Relena looked at her, startled, then and understanding glint rose in her eyes. She nodded, all the while noticing that Usagi still hand her sword trained on Mamoru's back, and a sharp eye on the other two.

Mamoru let out a groan, getting up slowly. Once he regained his senses, he stood up straight and proud, and spat at the feet of Usagi. "Cheap trick."

Smart move.

Usagi saw crimson. Megami-sama this man made her mad! Even more mad than Lt. Une or Wufei did! She delivered a sharp kick to Mamoru's unprotected stomach, sending him to the ground again, tasting his own blood in his mouth. Misaki and Andrew objected to this and knelt down to help their fallen comrade.

"Why you…" Misaki charged Usagi, his rapier out in front of him. But he didn't make the same mistake as his twin.

Slowly, the two circulated each other, and then Usagi suddenly lunged, puzzling the mysterious watcher. She knew that Usagi wasn't one to take first moves, but continued to watch.

Usagi had a good reason to lunge, too, because as that moment, Mamoru chose to swing his sword at her, missing her small back by mere millimeters as she moved forward.

Misaki blocked the oncoming sword and thrust his blade at her, only to be parried away by Usagi's. Misaki took another swipe at her, just as Mamoru took a swing, and Usagi, being the smart girl she was, leapt and rolled to the side, watching the two friends clash swords. She rolled her eyes at the surprise of the two boys. "I'm over here," she sang, taunting them. Suddenly, she heard a whistling as Andrew stepped into the battle. Quickly, she dodged to the side, the tip of the blade tearing the sleeve of her shirt. Relena gasped in surprise, concerned for her friend.

Usagi gave Andrew a calculating look, knowing he must have had a hard training to be able to sneak up on her like that. "Next time, work with the air, and you might be able to catch me next time."

Andrew tried to scowl, but could not hide the faint blush creeping up his face. Misaki and Mamoru, however, did scowl, with all their hearts. They looked at each other and made their decision. Shooting a meaningful glance at Andrew, the blond boy nodded, agreeing to the plan.

Usagi glanced warily at the actions of Mamoru and Misaki, knowing they were plotting something. Readying her sword for anything, she realized she was surrounded by the three men. 'Not good… Forward, Mamoru; Left, Andrew; Right, Misaki; Back, wall…'

Usagi's watcher looked on with interest at the girl's plight. 'Interesting… How is she going to be out of this one?'

Usagi carefully observed the three guys carefully as they inched their way closer and closer, closing the ring around her. Suddenly, she noticed Mamoru's eyebrows suddenly furrowed and there was the sound of feet running forward. She did the only thing she could think of.

She jumped. The three boys were surprised, their blades lodged firmly into the wood walls. Usagi's watcher observed the next move made, since Usagi had landed on the flat of Mamoru's sword.

What Usagi really felt like doing was giving Mamoru a smart kick to the head, snapping the neck back, hopefully breaking it, but Relena was there, and she knew that wouldn't be too nice. So, she was going to taunt them for a while.

"Shame," Usagi said mock-severely. "I would have thought that the Sanc Kingdom's top male fencers would know not to rely on sheer force. Lesson two: The momentum of your body may be an advantage, but it will also be a disadvantage." Usagi sprang off of the blade and over their heads, landing firmly on the floor. She turned to Relena. "Gomen, Relena-chan. It seems like you'll need to repair the wall."

Relena gave a slight laugh. "Don't worry about it, Usagi-chan. It'll be all right. Maybe I should keep it like that for a lesson for the future fencers."

Usagi turned back towards the three. "You know, you're not that bad at fencing. I guess I was just a little disappointed that you used force to ensure your victory instead of adroitness."

Andrew looked slightly abashed, knowing Usagi spoke the truth.

"Well then, MissUsagi," the watcher stepped out of the corner. Usagi nearly slapped herself. How could she not notice her! Of all people, she should have been able to spot her presence. "Perhaps a match with me will be a challenge." The light revealed the speaker to be Dorothy Catalonia, her whip-like fencing sword ready for battle.

"Relena-chan, do tell me I'm not dreaming. Has The Catalonia invited me to dance with her" Usagi asked mockingly.

Relena solemnly nodded. Usagi may be good, but Relena had seen with Dorothy could do with a sword, and it wasn't pretty to lose to her. Most of the infirmary's patients tended to emerge from duels with Dorothy.

"Well then, Miss Catalonia, if I win, you stay clear of Heero and Noin," Usagi wagered.

"And if I win?" Dorothy asked.

"You name it," Usagi challenged.

"You'll stay away from Relena-sama," Dorothy said firmly.

Usagi thought about this, weighing her options. She knew Dorothy was good, and she knew that Dorothy would play dirty. "Deal. On clean terms. Nothing but swords."

Relena glared at the two girls. 'This battle is just as pointless and dishonorable as Brother and Heero's was…' she thought.

Usagi and Dorothy faced each other, each in their own stances. Dorothy, liking the power, made the first move, which Usagi easily blocked with a flick of her wrist. Another flick slashed across Dorothy's body, but it was likewise blocked. Usagi made to kick Dorothy's hands, as she would have if she was playing by her instincts, but then remembered her own terms. Instead, Usagi broke apart from Dorothy's sword with a back flip, landing firmly on her feet with the tip of her sword facing the blond girl.

The two of them charged and clashed swords again and again; sometimes all that could be seen was the swift shine the swords gave as they danced in the light. They locked their swords down to the hilts and staying in that position, both of them panting slightly. Usagi and Dorothy twisted out at the same time and returned to their original stances, their swords ready for anything.

Just then, Noin came walking through, frantic, looking for Relena. "Usagi!" Noin called out. "Have you seen Relena?"

Usagi was mildly surprised at this question. "Why, she's right here."

"Your Highness! What are you doing in the fencing room?" Noin asked. "It's getting late"

Relena looked at her watch, startled. "Oh my, indeed it is. I'm afraid your match will have to wait until later. Come, let us walk back up to the rooms together."

The rest, including the boys, started walking back to the dorms, except for Usagi. Relena looked back. "Usagi?" she questioned. "Are you coming?"

Usagi looked up at her. "Oh. No, I'll come up later," Usagi said with a cheery smile. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." Relena nodded and gave a little sprint to catch up with the rest.

The minute the kind Relena was out of site, Usagi's smile dropped. 'There's something wrong with that Catalonia girl… What was her past like? Does she know she's just being used by her grandfather to get information? Her past… Is it anything like mine? Her strength and skill at the sword…! She's so strong… And I didn't know she was even there until she came out of the shadows… Usually I can spot Heero in the shadows…'

All these thoughts did nothing but disturb her. "I must be out of practice." She said out loud. But that couldn't be true… She had just gotten out of training with Zechs less than two months ago, she couldn't be out of practice. 'Was Dorothy training too?' That single question nagged her mind all the while she remained to practice with her katana, her beloved sword.

-

Dorothy sat up in her room, contemplating her next move. Usagi was good, and Dorothy had always known it. But she never realized the agility of the girl… Dorothy would have the disadvantage of speed, and possibly strength.

"Doubt it," Dorothy told herself silently. "Not after all those times I fenced in Grandfather's summer house? Besides, I can't lose. I don't lose. I'm invincible."

* * *

However, the continuation of their match wasn't to be, as Dorothy had other plans. Or at least, the match was delayed…

* * *

Relena looked up from her computer when she heard the knock on the door. 

"Yes" she called out politely. "Come in."

The door opened to revealed Dorothy. "Good morning Miss Relena," Dorothy said, giving a curtsey.

"Hi Dorothy. Can I help you?" Relena asked.

"I thought I should speak with you about Noin," Dorothy stated carefully.

"What is it?" Relena inquired.

"You are familiar with gundam, aren't you?"

Of course," Relena said. "It's the most powerful MS. The colonials made it to win peace."

"I heard that Noin has an interest of collecting all the Gundam…" Dorothy hinted slightly, a secretive grin gracing her face.

"What?" Relena asked, startled.

* * *

SPACE SO NEAR THE ATMOSPHERE 

Meanwhile, a shuttle was flying towards the Earth from the colonies.

In the shuttle, two gundams rested peacefully. However, the pilots of the gundams were not as…calm…

"So that's how you lost your memory?" Duo asked.

Trowa gave tacit affirmation.

"That's too bad," Duo said, sorry, yet light-hearted. "Must have been one hit you took."

Quatre blushed shamefully at this statement. "I thought see you guys would help…"

"Do ya think if we give him a good thonk that he'll get him memory back?" Duo asked Quatre with an obnoxious face. "Maybe the shock will cure him!"

Trowa just sweatdropped.

"Duo!" Quatre exclaimed.

"A warrior finds himself in battle," Wufei said quietly.

"Wufei…" Quatre shook his head. "No, he won't. He's in no condition to battle. Without his memory, he can't fight in Heavyarms. It's our duty to protect him from harm."

Suddenly, there was a beeping from the console. "What?"

"It's a giant battleship!" Duo exclaimed. "Is it OZ?"

A flash of light caught Quatre's eye. "Look!"

Trowa and Wufei stared at the approaching figure in grave silence.

They soon knew what that figure was...

"That MS! It's Wing Gundam Zero!"

"What bastard fixed that thing?" Duo demanded, violet eyes wide in horror.

"That Zero…" Wufei growled, looking at it in strong dislike.

"Oh!" Trowa clutched his head, beginning to remember something.

"Oh, no… Who did that?" Quatre asked, a blush of distress staining his pale cheeks, he bright blue eyes wide in alarm.

"This is Peacemillion! Gundam pilots! Stop now!" the pilot of Wing Zero said. "Let's parley!"

Wufei's eyes narrowed. 'He identified us…' He and Duo got out of their seats, racing for their Gundams.

"Wufei! Duo!" Quatre shouted.

"Don't worry," Duo said with a smirk. "We'll just go say hi. If something should happen, leave without us. Take care of Trowa, Quatre!"

"Don't be rash!" Quatre scolded, trying to help Trowa's pain subside. "Remember, we can't wait too long before going down to Earth!"

Too late, he was talking to air.

The hatches opened, and two Gundams emerged.

"It's Zechs Merquise in Wing Zero!" Duo exclaimed, opening links to the other two gundams.

Wufei just frowned.

"Gundam 02 and 05!" Zechs greeted.

"We've been tuned up," Duo indicated. "Call these babies Deathscythe Hell and Altron."

"I'll remember that," Zechs said with a smirk. "How would you like to use that new machine for us? You would be a great help."

"We'll never fight with an OZ officer!" Wufei cried. "I don't trust you!"

"You heard him, Zechs," Duo told him. "We'll get the Romefeller our way. If you get in the way…"

"If I get in the way...?" Zechs asked, just waiting for the invitation to battle.

"You're our enemy!"

"Okay! Come on!" Zechs invited.

* * *

SANC KINGDOM 

Usagi woke up from her doze in class from shouting coming from the main hall. She knew she shouldn't have stayed in class since Dorothy wasn't there. Something must be up.

"Princess Relena!" Noin yelled. "Please wait! It's reckless to march into the Foundation."

"I'm a visiting Princess. They'll treat me with respect," Relena replied calmly.

As soon as Usagi heard this, she bolted for her room, her history instructor not pleased at all.

"Please! Let me be your bodyguard! Or Usagi! Or wait for Heero to come back," Noin urged.

"You're counting on Gundam more than me, aren't you?" Relena asked her a bit sadly.

Usagi came down in a Sanc Kingdom uniform by them, outside of the building, waiting for Relena to come out.

"You're highness…" Noin said a little abashed. "That's not what I intended at all."

"Don't be ashamed. We're all just trying to achieve peace," Relena said firmly. "That's why I'd like to look for the path to peace my way."

Usagi had to admire Relena for her courage at that statement.

"We're going now Pargan," Relena said. "His Grace Duke Dermail is waiting for us at his country house."

Pargan was a little hesitant, not sure whether to obey Noin or his mistress. "Yes, your Highness."

Noin gave a slight smile. 'Zechs, your sister is the hope for the next generation,' she thought. "That's why I must protect Her Highness."

-

Dorothy was hiding behind the door in the hallway. "Princess Relena is wonderful! I must report this to Grandpa."

-

Outside, Usagi was waiting for her.

"Relena-chan," Usagi called out.

"U…Usagi?" Relena stuttered in surprise. "Shouldn't you be in cla…" Then she figured out why Usagi was dressed at a Sanc Kingdom representative. "No, you're not going," she refused, almost coldly. 'Am I so weak, to have to rely on the gundams to protect my peace?'

"Lena-chan! Please! I promised Heero I'd watch out for you," Usagi protested. "Please let me go! Just because you have scruples, doesn't mean Dermail does."

"Usagi…" Relena sighed, shaking her head.

"Please," Usagi pleaded. "If not as a protector, then as a friend."

Relena knew Usagi wasn't going to give up. "Fine, come on. Let's go."

Usagi inwardly smiled at this. She didn't have to break her promise to Heero. "Thank you, Relena." The two girls entered the shuttle.

* * *

BACK IN SPACE… 

The boys were having a hard time destroying Zechs.

Forget destroying him, try landing a single blow.

"How?" Wufei demanded. "How does he dodge out attack so easily?"

"It's like he knows what we're gonna do!" Duo exclaimed. "What! Could this be the…?"

"…Zero System?"

"Is Zechs handling that system?"

"That's correct. Zero tells me which way to move," Zechs answered them quite calmly for someone piloting the acivated Wing Zero. "It seems this system works well for me because I grew up on Earth."

That ticked Duo off. "Got a problem with colonists?" he yelled, slashing at the white gundam. "Did you know that system's already killed a man?"

"Did you know that Gundam Twilight has the Zero System installed in it?" Zechs retorted.

Duo's eyes widened. "What?"

"The Gundam's supposed to fight for the colonies, right?" Zechs asked.

"Guys! It's time to go! Come back!" Quatre yelled through the radio. Their shuttle began to feel both the earth's gravitational pull and the turbulence from bumping the outer fringes of earth's atmosphere.

"Look Duo, the Gundam is a symbol for people who want peace," Zechs stated. "Live with the pride of a Gundam pilot."

"Zechs!" Wufei yelled. He wanted to send Wing Zero into oblivion, but he knew that if Duo and he didn't leave now, they wouldn't be able to catch up with Quatre in the re-entry process.

"What was that about my sister having the system in her Gundam?" Duo yelled.

Zechs ignored the question. "Get to your battlefield! These times need you to fight!" he urged as he watched the two gundam catch up with the shuttle and re-enter the Earth's atmosphere. "Colonial boys…"

* * *

Under Noin's guidance, Gundams and their pilots gathered at the secret base in Sanc Kingdom. 

Usagi Tsukino (Serenity Maxwell) (not present-went with Relena)

Heero Yuy

Lucrezia Noin

Chang Wufei

Quatre Raberba Winner

Trowa Barton

Duo Maxwell

Gundam Epyon

Gundam Deathscythe Hell

Gundam Heavyarms

Gundam Sandrock

Gundam Twilight

Altron Gundam

Wing Gundam

**Author's Notes:**

(1) They're still under Earth's gravitational pull, so essentially, they're fighting as they fall towards the Earth. Weird, huh? If you still don't get it, you should watch Gundam 0083. It's explained in that show.

(2) Lessons… inspired by _Silent Waltz_ by Hikari-chan. GO READ!


	9. Fall of the Sanc Kingdom

Chapter 9

SANC KINGDOM

The first thing pilot 02 did when he entered the heart of pacifism was demand for Serenity.

"Duo! Is that you yelling?" Noin asked, entering the hanger.

"Where's Sere?" Duo inquired.

"Hn," was the extremely stiff reply as the Perfect Soldier followed Noin.

Duo sweatdropped. "Which means…?"

"What Heero means is she left with Relena for a meeting in Romefeller," Noin explained cautiously. If Heero hadn't taken the news that well, who knows what Usagi's brother would do.

"She what?" Duo screamed.

"Hn." Inwardly, however, the Perfect Soldier felt just as agitated about Usagi's decision to go into Romefeller.

"I'm gonna kill that girl when she gets bac!k" Duo ranted.

"Eh-heh-heh… Calm down Duo," Quatre tried to soothe Duo.

"Where's Twiligh?t" Duo suddenly asked in a much more tranquil manner.

"Huh? It's still here…" Noin answered, waving her hand in the relative direction of the hanger.

"Great! Sere wouldn't mind if I took a little peek in it…" Duo trailed off, already at the foot of the gundam. He grabbed the cord and was lifted up. 'Zechs better not be right about the Zero System…' he thought darkly.

"Hn. Duo shouldn't have gone into Twilight," Heero said monotonously.

"Why not…?" Quatre started asking, but was cut off.

Duo's scream pierced the air as he leapt from Twilight's cockpit. "Let's go and invade Romefeller now! I wanna talk to that…that… gah!" He stomped off, heading towards Deathscythe Hell.

Wufei grabbed The Braid before the enraged brother could do any damage.

Quatre and Noin stared at him, puzzled. "Huh…?"

"Hn. Zero in Twilight," Heero simply said. For such few words, he got quite a reaction.

"She has the Zero System in Twiligh?t" came the outburst from Quatre, Wufei, and Noin.

"Why…?" Quatre kept on asking himself. "How…? But she must know…!"

"…" Trowa really had no opinion; his amnesia could be a merciful curse at times. He just knew that Usagi wasn't supposed to have the Zero System in her gundam, according to Duo, that is.

"Can she use it…?" Noin wondered. "How did she get Zero System in it in the first place?"

"Since when could that weak onna use the Zero System! If Quatre went crazy in it, what will that baka onna do?"

If Duo wasn't so upset about Usagi, he would have landed a nice sunrise (black eye) on Wufei for those sexist comments. (1)

* * *

ROMEFELLER

"Duke Dermail, the representative from Sanc Kingdom has arrived," a soldier reported, saluting.

"Good. Show her to the conference room. Treat her with courtesy," Dermail ordered, smirking as he swirled a goblet half-filled with red wine. "She's a V.I.P. for the Romefeller's future. Soon, she'll also be…"

-

Outside…

Relena stepped down from the plane. Usagi followed, eyeing her surroundings carefully. Nothing worse than being on enemy turf.

-

"…a poor homeless princess. Relena Peacecraft."

-

In the conference room…

"Welcome to the Romefeller Foundation, Princess Relena," Dermail greeted. "And Miss…"

Relena made to say "Usagi" but Usagi cut her off.

"Serenity. Serenity Maxwell."

Dermail eyed her carefully, assessing how much trouble the unexpected visitor may cause. Dorothy had never reported of anyone by the name, Serenity Maxwell. Wait… Maxwell sounded familiar… He eyed a nearby guard, tacitly telling him to do a background check of their new guest.

Relena sat back in her chair.

Usagi didn't like the look of deadly seriousness on the princess's face.

"Let me get straight to the point," Relena started. "What is it that Romefeller wants?"

"Come now, that's harsh," Dermail objected, feigning hurt. "We seek to create order… out of the chaos that exists today."

"Do you honestly expect every nation to comply?" Usagi asked stiffly. She wanted to strangle this man, but the years of training she had to control her emotions prevented this.

"Of course!" Dermail asserted confidently. "The space colonies are there to provide labor and resources to Earth."

"That is the kind of thinking that produced the Gundam!" Relena's voice cut in harsh and clear. She noticed Usagi's hands balled so tightly into fists that her knuckles were white. "The hope for freedom from oppression produced Gundam… and the youth who are not afraid to die for it," Relena continued, thinking about the 6 pilots: Trowa, Quatre, Wufei, Duo, Usagi, and Heero.

"That's right. And that's why we'll crush Gundam," Dermail said with a sly grin. "We're going to wipe out all the Gundam… if we haven't already."

"What?" Usagi asked, standing up, her hands slamming onto the table. Relena's eyes widened.

"I see you understand, Princess Relena, Serenity _Maxwell_. The operation to destroy Gundam has begun!"

"…"

'Of course he would notice I had the same last name as a Gundam pilot…' Usagi thought. 'But does he know that I myself am the sixth pilot? I haven't fought in any official battles yet…'

"First target: the leader of the enemy alliance… the Sanc Kingdom!"

'Gundam and my kingdom are under attack!' Relena thought, devastated. 'Heero!'

"Kisama!" Usagi cursed under her breathe. 'The moment I leave, they might need me! Duo-anichan! Heero-kun! All five of them will be there! Chikusho! Why now?' (2)

* * *

SANC KINGDOM

Scores and scores of MD were lining up…

"Wow! Looks like they're serious!" Duo exclaimed.

"I've never seen so many MD," Trowa commented.

Quatre and Heero shared a glance. 'Yeah, you have, Trowa,' the blond angel thought, his heart clenched in pain. 'You just don't remember…'

"What will we do, Captain Noin? If you're smart, you'll get the hell outta here," Duo told her.

"Neither Relena nor Usagi are here," Quatre said, worried. "But is that a good thing, or a bad thing?"

"If this pacifist kingdom is destroyed, the anti-Romefeller forces will fall apart," Noin stated. "But Relena..." she trailed off, conflicting emotions between duty to her princess and duty to her princess's beliefs playing across her face.

"So what's stopping you! We must fight!" Wufei alleged.

"He's right," Heero confirmed.

"Right. We don't have a choice," Noin finally relented. 'I'm sorry, Relena… but I have to protect this kingdom, so you have a home to return to.'

"Let's go, Gundam Team!"

-

The MD activated, their targets located. Two of them shot at a shadowy figure.

"That's not good enough!" A green energy scythe slashed through them. "Deathscythe Hell's gonna take you down!" Duo declared"Make my day, you bags of bolts!"

**Boom! Boom! **

**-**

**Zip! Whoomp! BLAM! **

Two dragon claws took out two MD.

"Is that the best you can do?"

Lasers and flame-throwers were put to use. "I will wipe out evil!" Wufei ranted. "If you say you're not evil, try and beat me!"

The MD kept coming, programmed to fight without the fear instilled in a human being.

-

"I'll use this Taurus to escort the civilians to safety," Noin said, walking towards her favored white and purple suit. "Quatre, I trust you'll back me up."

"Yes ma'am," Quatre replied.

"I'm going too," Trowa quietly said.

"No, Trowa. You still haven't got your memory back!" Quatre told him, his voice laced with worry.

"I won't push myself. I'll just be your backup."

Quatre couldn't help but crack a grin. "But I'm supposed to be the back up."

"Let him do it. His body should remember," Heero interjected, a dark red helmet in his hands.

"Heero! Are you using Epyon?" Quatre demanded.

"Epyon has higher destructive power than Wing," he said softly. "Without Usagi, or Trowa's full memories, we'll need the power. If I'm careful with the Zero System, it'll be fine."

"…" Quatre wasn't so sure everything would turn out all right…

"Move out!" Gundam Sandrock advanced towards the adversaries, equipped with a heavy, gray defusing cloth.

"Roger," Trowa responded in Gundam Heavyarms, an extra cannon pack on its back.

-

_Click! Pip, pip, pip…_

The screen of Epyon flared to life, the Zero System alive as points on the screen flashed, indicating the presence of enemies and allies. "Gundam Epyon, go," Heero commanded, engaging battle with the MD. "Mission… destruction of MD!" Heero declared, slashing through some MD. He made quick work of those in the vicinity of Epyon's powerful beam saber.

The 5 gundams with their ally Taurus were putting up a brave fight…

But would it be enough?

* * *

SPACE, PEACE MILLION SPACE FORTRESS

"Damn it! OZ's attack on the moon distracted me from movements on Earth!" Milliardo/Zechs cursed. "I must protect Relena and the kingdom! Hang on Princess!"

The mighty Wing Zero prepared for atmosphere re-entry…

* * *

SANC KINGDOM

"Okay, all the civilians have been escorted to safety. Let's roll you guys" Noin informed them, blasting at the MD with her cannon. Unfortunately, there were still way too many MD left to take out.

"Man, they just keep coming and coming…" Duo exclaimed, sweat drenching his brow, slashing at any MD close enough. The ground around him was littered with MD debris, but the MD just kept coming.

Wufei, on the other hand, would never accept being beaten by mere programs. "I am justice! I'm invincible!"

-

On a plateau overlooking the Sanc Kingdom…

"Finally! The pacifist Sanc kingdom's in the throes of war!" a voice purred. "I love it!"

Dorothy looked up from the recording she was making of the battle. "Pacifism is just an ideal. Humans fight to live! The way they fight for survival is irresistible!"

She went back to recording. "Let your lives shine, Gundam boys!"

-

"Stop it, Epyon," Heero commanded, her face damp with sweat. "Don't tell me how to fight." Epyon took a couple swings with his saber. "Usa's not here. If I go crazy, there's no one to stop me!" he cried, his eyes shut tight and teeth clenched.

-

"Noin! There are too many!" Quatre said as he fought back to back with the Sanc officer, slashing through an approaching MD, only to have it replaced by 2 more adversaries. "They're trying to wear us out!" The two of them stared at the endless mass of MD still marching towards them. "MD never tires. But a long fight isn't a good idea for us."

Noin gasped for breath, her work exhausting her. "Even if we fail to protect the kingdom… the princess must stay alive…"

* * *

ROMEFELLER FOUNDATION

Armed guards in Romefeller uniforms burst into the room, surrounding Serenity.

"Usagi Tsukino, you are under arrest for terrorist attacks against OZ and the Romefeller Foundation," Duke Dermail said smoothly after reading a note that had been sent to him, smirking at the scowling gundam pilot.

"Chikuso…" Serenity/Usagi muttered to herself. "Should've known Relena was out of her mind to come here…" She reluctantly allowed the guards to lock her hands in cuffs behind her back. Three guards remained behind her while the rest left the room, but Usagi knew that they were awaiting orders right outside the door. She wished she could punch the smug look off the conceited Duke's face as he pressed a button on a thin remote.

A screen came up, showing the events of the battle, even some video clips, courtesy of Dorothy.

It was not looking good. The only spot where the MD were cleared from was near Epyon. But more just kept coming.

'I should be there helping…' Usagi thought grimly, gritting her teeth. 'Heero… Please forgive me.'

"…" Relena just kept watching, her eyes wide.

"I don't think I need to tell you what's going on. It's your call, Princess. If the battle continues...you'll lose Gundam for nothing." Usagi sent Dermail a nasty glare. "Your ideal nation is powerless against us! Give me an answer now."

"You're only winning through the use of MD, just machines! It shows nothing about the people in Romefeller. At least we're willing to put our lives into protecting the kingdom!" Usagi spat. "This battle is dishonorable. Should you win this battle, the victory would be worthless!"

Dermail smirked. "Only the defeated would say such a thing."

Relena stood up, her head bowed. She gave an apologetic glance at Usagi, then stared at Dermail. "Very well. For the world's peace…"

Usagi had caught on. "Relena! No!"

"…I will work for Romefeller!"

* * *

SANC KINGDOM

The enemy halted.

"What?" Wufei questioned.

"They stopped!" Duo exclaimed.

A broadcast came through. "I am the representative of the Sanc Kingdom, Relena Peacecraft."

"Relena?" Heero wondered.

"Princess!" Noin exclaimed. "What's going on?"

"My kingdom of peace is at war with OZ," Relena stated. "If peace requires the use of military forces, I will renounce sovereignty and dissolve our kingdom."

"Dissolve the kingdom!" Heero was in total shock. 'What the hell…!'

"Pacifist nations must never fight, under any circumstances! Stop the battle immediately! You no longer have a reason to fight for the kingdom! If you wish to continue the battle, leave the kingdom immediately!" Tears came from Relena's eyes.

"Wow! She's so dramatic…" Dorothy commented, looking as pleased as a cat that's just caught its mouse.

* * *

ROMEFELLER

Usagi closed her eyes in pain was she watched her leader, her friend, give up one of the most important things to her. As soon as Relena had declared that she would work with Romefeller, the guard had released her wrists from the constraints. She rubbed her head, where she had been banging it against the wall at Relena's stupidity, and at Fate's cruel twist.

'Forgive me, Heero... I couldn't protect her.' Usagi gave a sigh in defeat, watching her crying friend. She walked up and put a comforting arm around her shoulder. "It's okay. It'll be okay, Lena-chan…"

"The girl's resolve could be useful. If the battleship is ready…" Dermail said to himself.

* * *

RUINS OF SANC KINGDOM

"We must leave this place," Noin declared. "We'll escape by shuttle."

"Great. First the colonies, now the princess abandon us," Duo remarked. "Does everyone hate us that much?"

"No Duo. Relena gave us a chance to escape and live another day," Quatre argued.

"Yeah, cuz we were losing!" Duo said dryly.

"Relena's under Romefeller control? I'll go check it out."

"Heero! Wait…" Noin's call was futile. Heero had left already. "Well, who's going to take Twilight?"

"I'll take it," Heero's voice came over the radio, startling the rest. Usually when Heero left, he closed off his communications. "Take it to St. Gabriel. It's closer to Romefeller than the Sanc Kingdom, and the forest over there is good cover."

"Roger. I'll do it," Quatre offered. Sandrock set off to retrieve Twilight from the base.

"Heero, come back…There's no point of you going to Romefeller," Noin tried to reason, now that Twilight was taken care of.

This time Heero really did close off his communication link. '… Usagi… I'm coming…'

* * *

OZ CASTLE

"Well, the Sanc Kingdom has fallen. Earth will fall to the Romefeller Foundation." Treize's elegant voice had a "told ya so" tone in it.

"There are rebel movements in space," Treize's feminine companion replied.

"Yes, that is true. Dermail's underestimating the colonists. As long as Gundam are around, there's no victory for Romefeller." Treize paused, turning away from his computer and facing his companion. "Am I right, Lady Une?"

"That's correct. Your favorite pilots will show the world the right path," Lady Une replied.

"The times are changing," Treize declared. "Our future depends on them."

* * *

BACK TO HEERO

_Pip! Pip!_

Heero stared at the screen alertly. A MS was flying towards him. "Is that Wing Gundam Zero?" he wondered as the MS drew closer.

Both MS transformed to MS mode.

"Heero Yuy! What a surprise!" the pilot of Wing Zero greeted.

"Zechs!" Heero cried, recognizing the voice. "Good! Let's settle it."

"If that's what you want," Zechs answered both in voice and sword. The two powerful MS proceeded to battle, all the way to Romefeller…

* * *

ROMEFELLER FOUNDATION

"Well Princess, shall we talk about our future?" Dermail began.

Relena took a deep breath and sighed. Usagi shot a glance of concern at her friend. 'Is she really going to be okay…? '

-

_Ping_! The battle had been brought into the vicinity of Romefeller.

-

"Hm? What's that?" Dermal asked his guards. When he turned back to face Usagi and Relena, the two of them were gone. "…"

-

"Relena!" Usagi hissed, pulling her arm. They ran towards the crash.

"Oh my…!" Relena exclaimed, a hand over her nose and mouth to ward off the dust from entering her lungs. Two bodies slumped on the ground.

Usagi surveyed the damage and checked to make sure no Romefeller guards were around. She turned her head at the sound of moaning. "Heero…" she whispered. She watched as another took off a white mask. "Milli-kun…"

The two figures on the ground rose. "Brother! Heero!" Relena cried, walking towards them.

"Relena!" Heero and Milliardo yelled at the same time.

"What…what are you guys doing here…?"

"Fate led us here…" Milliardo replied, his normally cold eyes softened and warmed at the sight of his baby sister. He sensed another presence nearby and swiftly brought up his gun, pointing it in the general direction. "Show yourself!"

From where Heero was on top of Epyon, he was just able to discern out a bit of golden blond hair. "Usagi."

Usagi cringed, drawing further back into the shadows. Then a hand reached for her arm and pulled her out. "Relena!" she cried out in protest. Usagi stepped out into the light. "…"

"Brother, I'd like you to meet…" Relena started.

"Don't bother," Usagi said. "We know each other quite well."

"Serenity…" Milliardo whispered.

"Usa…" Heero's eyes softened, sensing the uncertainty in her eyes. "Zero… Twilight…?"

"Heero, it's my fault she has Zero System in Twilight. I asked Treize to find a way to install it."

Heero whipped around to face Milliardo, his eyes widened. "You what?" he exploded, ready to pull the trigger of his upraised gun.

"Heero! It's okay. The Zero System in Twilight won't activate itself," Usagi quickly explained.

Heero calmed down a bit, realizing the System would not be a threat to Usagi. His eyes bored into Usagi's. "Do not think of operating it without my consent," he ordered.

Usagi bristled. "And who are you to order me around?"

Zechs and Relena stared incredulously at the tiny twitch at the corner of Heero's lips. "Gundam pilot 01, someone who already has piloted Zero and has gone crazy from it."

The blond girl smiled cheerily, but there was an underlying sadness within her expressive blue eyes. "Wakatta."

Relena shifted uncomfortably and Heero's mind returned to his original objective. He turned to Relena. "Relena…I have to know…are you working for the enemy?"

Relena's gazed straight into Heero's eyes. "Yes… I will work with Romefeller to create a better future."

The pilot's eyes hardened. "I see…" without a second thought he drew his gun and clicked the safety off.

"Stop, Heero!" Milliardo commanded, raising his own pistol.

"Heero! Iie." Usagi stepped in front of Relena.

"Usa…? Move! She's working for Romefeller!" Heero commanded.

"Iie. Don't you get it! She cares more about peace than her life or her kingdom!" Usagi argued. "You told me to protect her, so I'll protect her, even from yourself!"

Without words, Heero slowly lowered his gun, clicking the safety back on.

Relena stepped away from behind Usagi. "I can't die yet…" she said, her voice trembling and a tear trailing down her cheek. "But come back and kill me someday… Heero…"

His eyes hardened. "Uh-huh. I will kill you."

Before, Usagi would have smirked at his cold-hearted statement. But now, she could only voice her concern. "Heero-no-baka! (3) You still don't understand do you?" she explained sharply. "A mission isn't everything… but the future of this earthsphere is. Look at what Relena was willing to sacrifice to save her idealism. Could you match that?"

Heero's eyes widened as he thought about Usagi's words. 'Could I sacrifice the small tasks, to save the bigger picture?' "What more do we have to sacrifice, Usa, then our own lives?" he whispered softly. A pang struck the girl's heart.

Relena gave a small cry as she pointed to the dust rising on the other side of the grand lawn. Giant MS thundered across the field.

"It's the security MD!" Milliardo cried.

"Zechs!" Heero yelled as he jumped off Epyon's crimson armor, his mind back in place. "Take Epyon. I just can't handle the suit that Treize made."

Milliardo smirked. "Heh. Zero would suit a colonist better anyway."

Both of them got into their respective Gundams and the Gundams simultaneously rose from their fallen positions. "Usagi/Serenity!" they yelled at the same time. "Come on!" The two Gundams had a hand low enough for her to jump onto.

Usagi looked up at the Gundams, surprised, then at the hands. "Heero… Milliardo…" Usagi whispered. "Forgive me… but…my mission is not completed yet." She placed a protective hand on Relena's shoulder. Relena looked at her questioningly. "My place is by the Princess…"

Heero and Milliardo understood, and withdrew their hands. "There's nothing to forgive, Serenity," Milliardo said.

Heero stared long and hard at the only girl he had practically grown up with. "I'll be back, Usa. Wait for me."

Turning around, they went to face off with the MD.

"Good-bye… Heero-kun… Milli-kun…" Usagi whispered, giving them one last glance before following Relena back into the clutches of the Romefeller Foundation.

**Author's Notes:**

(1) Sunrise… inspired from Tamora Pierce's _Protector of the Small Quartet_.

(2) Kisama… Kuso… basically a lot of naughty, unlady-like words popping out of her mouth… I hope you get my drift.

(3) Must I explain this? Heero-no-baka equals Heero you idiot.


	10. A Drop Before the Storm

Chapter 10  
_A Drop Before the Storm_

FOREST BEHIND ST. GABRIEL

"There," Quatre breathed as he added the finishing touches to the leafy branches and net disguising Twilight. "No one should find you now. I sincerely hope Serenity can control you…"

He left the vicinity. "Rest well, Gundam Twilight. May you never have to see the destruction of war."

* * *

ROMEFELLER

The two MS, Wing Gundam Zero and Gundam Epyon, were making quick work of the security MD, and creating havoc among the Romefeller soldiers guarding the building.

Meanwhile, a plane with a few select people in it escaped from the burning ruins.

"Security MD are no match for two Gundams, huh? It's a good thing we got out of there," Dermail said, stating the obvious. "Those dangerous men will need to be eliminated, madam," he added slyly.

Soundlessly, the dethroned Princess glared at him from the corner of her eyes.

"Sounds like Dermail's scared," Usagi murmured, giving her companion a comforting hug. "You're strong, Relena. Stay strong, for peace, for a better future."

Relena couldn't help but feel soothed, knowing that she had a true friend accompanying her. "Usa-chan, I'm glad you're with me."

Usagi winked. "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. Do you want me to hijack to shuttle and take us home?"

Relena laughed, but shook her head. "No. This is something that I must do on my own. Besides, I have a plan," she whispered.

Usagi raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? Won't Dermail be happy," she said caustically.

Relena grinned cockily. "Just you wait. I'll make him the happiest old geezer in the Earthsphere."

The two girls looked at each other and giggled.

-

Dermail scowled at the laughing girls. 'They should not be laughing like a bunch of frivolous teenagers. I must get rid of that gundam pilot,' he thought. 'After Relena becomes queen…'

* * *

ATMOSPHERE ABOVE THE RUINS OF ROMEFELLER

"You're next, Zechs!"

"Humph! You can't beat me yet!"

Heero's eyes blazed gold, and Zechs knew it.

All the security MD had been annihilated, and now Zechs and Heero were going at it, again.

And Heero was totally corrupted by the awesome mind-bending power of the Zero System. "Wing Zero tells me you're my enemy! It's my mission to kill you!" He took a shot with the buster rifle, but Epyon was too quick, first dodging, and then countering. Clouds of dust surrounded them as the large MS circled each other.

"Wing Zero, huh? Now you take orders from a machine? You're no better than MD, when you let the system control you like that!" Zechs yelled. "Is our battle so small, Heero Yuy?"

"What?" His mind clicked as Heero was thrown out of the trance Zero held him in.

"When you became a real fighter, we'll settle it."

"Chikuso!" Heero swore. He hadn't realized how incompetent he was with the system.

"I look forward to that day." Epyon transformed into MA mode, and Zechs left the battle scene.

-

"The Sanc Kingdom has fallen and Relena is the prize of Romefeller," Zechs said, as if to convince himself that it was the truth. "The Romefeller Foundation will control Earth."

"Is that what you think?" A familiar voice rang through the radio, startling the former OZ lieutenant. "It's been a long time, Milliardo Peacecraft, my friend," Treize greeted, his face appearing on the terminal.

"Treize Khushrenada, what does a retired officer make of this?"

"Ha, ha. I can tell you your sister is veritably smarter than you think. She can do so much more than Dermail," Treize answered. "Dermail underestimated her and he'll be ousted from his post for it. It's a tragedy that such an ignorant man came to power."

"It's not that easy to take control of Earth," Milliardo reasoned, a little concerned about his imouto. "The colonists will regain power when Romefeller weakens."

"Usagi is there to help her. If the changing times need a player, I'll make a comeback," Treize said smoothly. "You too, Milliardo. Pick the role you should play."

"I won't be an OZ soldier again," Milliardo said firmly.

"The OZ soldier Zechs is dead, right Milliardo?" Treize said lightly, yet still just as serious.

"Treize…"

"You've got company!" Treize noticed as the console beeped. "Good-bye, old friend. Remember, for peace! And for a better future."

'Peace… I've nearly forgotten what that was…' Milliardo thought. He opened link with the approaching craft.

"This is the colonists' revolutionary force, White Fang!" a voice came over the radio. "Ambassador Peacecraft, we have a proposition for you."

A smirk graced Milliardo's face. "Interesting company, indeed..." he mused to himself. As he listened to the White Fang's plan. "I think I've found myself a good role."

"This is Milliardo Peacecraft," he answered on the radio. "Acknowledged. I'll join your course."

Thus, the White Fang acquired the awesome power of Epyon, and a bonus of the skill of Milliardo Peacecraft.

* * *

THE ROMEFELLER FOUNDATION EUROPEAN REGIONAL HQ

Susurration murmured through the elegant committee room. The high double doors creaked opened to reveal a regal woman in white.

"Here comes our Queen," the entirely black-clad Dorothy purred, clapping with the rest of the convention to greet their new leader. 'But where is that Usagi?' she wondered. She dismissed Usagi from her mind, focusing on the new Queen of Romefeller.

The Queen rose to the podium. "I'm Queen Relena. Duke Dermail has designated that I will represent the world nation from now," she introduced herself to the Romefeller congregation. "This world nation," Relena said firmly. "Yes, it's time to form a union across the boundaries of individual nations…for that is what causes war! Our future holds promise if nations unite!"

"Splendid!" Dermail cheered on, clapping loudly. "MD should take care of our opponents!"

"No, that's not the way, Duke Dermail!" Relena contradicted, facing the second most powerful figure in the foundation.

"What?"

Up in the balconies, Usagi smirked. 'You had it coming to you, Dermail.' She sighed. 'Now, if only she let me get out of wearing this dress…it's pink!' she fussed with the flared skirt. At least she had a clear view of what was going on from her position, even if she wasn't supposed to be there. Her designated seat was to be with Dorothy, but she wasn't going to sit with that battle-crazed woman, especially since they had their own little battle to finish.

"First, Romefeller disarms all forces and sets and example of how to achieve peace," Relena advocated.

'So that was her plan. Figures she was going to disarm the whole Earth…' Usagi thought. 'I hope she really can bring peace to this world. But I have a feeling that the neglected space is planning something…' She continued to watch the convention.

"Then, the Romefeller Foundation must declare the end of military rule."

"The enemy force would be a threat to us that way!" Dermail countered, feeling Relena had gone too far.

"The one and only threat is Romefeller's military force, OZ! Unless the leader disarms himself, it's impossible to form a union desired by the people!" Relena declared forcefully, showing her true power of a politician. Every inch of her stance convinced her audience that she firmly believed in her pacifism, and would do everything to attain it.

"That little brat!" Dermail spat. He had thought that Relena would be tractable. 'How dare she try to bring in her petty and pathetic beliefs of total pacifism! OZ is the answer!'

"The Romefeller Foundation must change for peace!"

"Silence! We don't have to! We have traditions!" Dermail screamed, livid and vexed beyond belief. Dorothy hid a chuckle as she watched her grandfather's face turn from red to a purplish hue.

"The Queen's words sound more logical than yours," another Duke indicated.

"Duke Weridge!" Dermail was shocked that someone would speak out against him from within Romefeller.

Buzz filled hall. "Hmm… World Peace?" "Disarmament is a bit too radical…" "The Queen's great." "She is King Peacecraft's daughter."

"The colonists will understand," Relena said. Suddenly, she saw a flash of metal come from the third-floor balcony. 'Usagi-chan?'

No. A man. The safety of a gun clicked off.

'Heero.'

'Relena.'

'Heero! How could I let him get past me?' Usagi mentally berated herself, slipping out of his line of vision. 'But then he's usually been able to do that before…'

Heero was standing there by a column, dissembled as a Romefeller guard except for the fact that he held a gun trained on Relena's heart. 'For dealing with the enemy, I'll kill you.'

'Go ahead, Heero. Kill me after my speech,' Relena thought, resolute.

'Megami! He's not serious, is he?' Usagi thought. 'Because if he is, I'm not sure if I can stop him…' She readied her own gun just in case.

"Please listen to me, everyone," Relena said in the commanding voice of a diplomat, "The Romefeller Foundation must change to bring peace to the Earth! Once again, I call for the disarmament of OZ to create a new world peace!"

Heero just stood there, his gun still trained on Relena's chest as a heavy silence filled the hall.

Duke Weridge broke the quietude, clapping. "That sounds wonderful, Queen Relena!"

"Let's change for peace!" "Her Highness is the goddess of peace!" Cheers swept through the convention.

"Let's take a step for peace, together!"

"I'll be your hand, Queen!"

"Thank you everyone," Relena acknowledged, shaking hands with her future co-workers. Then she remembered the uninvited guest and looked up to the balcony. 'Heero!'

He was gone.

-

Heero turned, sensing a presence. Usagi and Heero quickly found themselves staring into the barrels of each other's guns.

"Did you see the look on Dermail's face?" her cheery voice greeted him. "Geez, Heero. It's just me," Usagi said, rolling those eyes. "You don't have to be so uptight about everything. Relena's going to be fine. She's one of the strongest."

Heero's lip started to curl upwards. 'No doubt, she is Duo's sister. Only a Maxwell could joke around while still aiming properly.' He withdrew his weapon.

"Let's go, Usa."

"Wakata," Usagi replied. "Relena will no longer need my assistance. But I think I'm going to need yours."

Heero smirked. "Unusual for you to be asking for help."

Usagi snorted, brushing away imaginary lint on her skirt. "Before I didn't need to _ask_ you for help. You were always there anyway."

They exited the building, elbows linked like a young man escorting his lady. The guards didn't seem to care that they were leaving. They learned their lesson quick the first time they interfered with Usagi Tsukino.

They walked a little away from the headquarters of Romefeller when Usagi stopped. She bit her lip in nervousness. "Ano… Heero-kun?"

"Hn?"

"Where's Twilight?"

"Hn."

"You didn't leave it at Sanc, did you?" she cried sharply.

"It's at St. Gabriel. Why?"

"I need a change of clothes. You don't expect me to pilot a Gundam in this, do you?" she asked, indicating the dress she wore.

"I don't know. I think you look beautiful in it," he teased, his monotone wavering as he glanced at anything but the woman beside him.

Usagi couldn't hold back her blush. Was that Heero teasing? "It's pink, Heero," she choked out.

"So?"

'What is wrong with me!' Heero mentally screamed. 'What is this I'm feeling? What is it making me do…?'

"Never mind. I've got an extra change of clothes in Twilight, though I wouldn't mind shopping."

"Hn. Let's go," Heero grunted, moving a leafy branch to uncover a bit of the red shield of Zero.

* * *

ROMEFELLER, QUEEN'S QUARTERS

Relena gave a sigh of relief, glad that Romefeller had accepted her. A giggle escaped her soft lips at the remembrance of Dermail's face. 'Priceless.' She noticed a note folded on her mahogany desk, addressed to her in neat, precise handwriting.

She picked it up and opened it.

_Relena-chan,_

_Congratulations! You are going to make the best Queen Romefeller has ever seen! Let Romefeller be your vector in executing your dreams of pacifism._

_I think it's time for me to return to my place as the Gundam pilot 06, Usagi Tsukino. It's been a long time since I've taken Twilight out for a fight, and I want to see my brother again. I'm really sorry for leaving you like this, but I need some training before I return to space to meet up with the rest of the pilots. I think you know how I'm leaving, because I know he's coming. I promise I'll be back and I'll always watch over you. I'll return the dress someday, providing it's not destroyed before then._

_Ja!_

_Usagi_

_Serenity_

'So, they left…together…'

Two elegant raps sounded through the wood of the door.

-

A FEW MINUTES EARLIER

Dermail and his granddaughter were conferring in his office.

The former leader of Romefeller's Earth forces slammed his hand down on the desk in frustration. "This is outrageous!" he growled. "That little puppet we put in place to rule the world…is breaking up OZ!"

"She has the power. No will listen to you now, grandfather," the blond woman purred.

"Gee thanks, Dorothy," Dermail said. "I have to kill her, and that Usagi brat."

"No! You'd be the prime suspect!" Dorothy objected overzealously. "Don't worry. You still have OZ's space force."

Dermail brightened up. "Yea, you're right! I should contact Tubarov and secure forces on the moon!" he planed. Dorothy had that eerie happy look on her face pleased she could help her grandfather in the war.

"Are you coming, Dorothy?" the Duke asked.

"No. I'll be with the Queen," she responded. She watched as her grandpa prepare for departure. She gave a sly look at her grandfather's retreating back. "Be careful. Spaced is a dangerous place."

As soon as her grandfather left, she made her way towards the Queen's quarters.

-

PRESENT

Relena opened the door. "Hi Dorothy."

"Greetings your highness. I haven't seen Usagi around anywhere…" the blond woman informed her. "She wasn't at the meeting."

A saddened look shadowed Relena's face. "No. She was at the meeting. But she didn't stay long after. She wanted to see her brother."

* * *

BEHIND ST. GABRIEL SCHOOL

'Twilight… ready for work?' she mentally asked herself, changing out of the dress and into black capris and gray tank top. 'Dr. M did a good job on adjusting the cockpit to the system,' she thought as she crumpled up the note that the good doctor had left her on the console. The inside now resembled to that of Wing Zero. 'I just can't figure out how or when she did it…'

"What do you need my help for?" Heero's voice came through the bushes, interrupting her train of thought.

"Training. I haven't used the Zero System yet. I have a new shipment of weaponry waiting at Peacemillion, or so my contact informs me," Usagi answered. "I'm not stupid enough to try the System on my own, you know."

'She's insulting me, as usual,' Heero groaned mentally. 'Insulting me and she still expects me to help her.'

"You do have the System under control now, right?" Usagi interrogated, an urgent pitch in her voice.

"Of course," he replied shortly.

"You better," Usagi muttered under her breath, but Heero still heard her. "The last thing I need is a crazed baka teaching me how to lose control over my mind."

"I can handle it!" Heero's usual monotone sounded on the strained side.

"Just making sure…" Usagi said in the lightest way possible, emerging from her makeshift changing room, a wicked grin on her face. She quickly whipped her long hair into a gold braid.

"Come on, let's get started. Once we're done, we'll head up to Peacemillion and meet up with the rest of the team."

"Wakata." Entering her suit, she commanded Twilight immediately into flight. Zero charged her with his saber, therefore brought her own out.

"Activate it, Usa," Heero ordered.

Checking on Heero's still blue eye color, she nodded, entering the code. "Ryoukai. Activate, Zero Twilight!"

Operation Zero Twilight had commenced.

* * *

IN SPACE A WEEK LATER

As Dorothy said, a large-scale war was about to be waged in space. OZ's new giant space battleship, Libra, and numerous MD stationed in and around the ship were easily seized by the colonists' revolutionary force, White Fang. It had not been publicized who was their leader.

Noin and the Gundam Team excluding Heero and Usagi escaped the Sanc Kingdom siege and caught up on the news on the battleship Peacemillion.

"What is this Libra, Dr. Howard?"

"I haven't seen it," he replied, retrieving data from his computer. "Apparently it's about the same size as Peacemillion, slightly larger. But it's much better armed. Her main battery is especially powerful."

"White Fang has her now," Noin said.

"But I don't understand. How did White Fang get so powerful? Before the fall of the Sanc Kingdom, it was unheard of. Now it's one of the most powerful forces in space." Howard puzzled. "Where's Zechs? He should have come back here after checking up on his sister. And where's Usagi?"

"Sere's with Relena in Romefeller. Heero went to go get her. They'll be coming soon," Duo answered. "But Mask-boy hasn't shown up anywhere, much like Treize."

"Zechs…" Just like a saddened look had passed over Relena, another passed on her dark blue-haired advisor.

"For all we know, Treize could be dead," Quatre said. "There has been practically no contact with him since Romefeller took over OZ."

"No," Wufei growled. "He's not dead. He's the one who gave Heero the Epyon, and Usagi the Zero System, remember? He's alive. He has to be alive, long enough for me to destroy him in battle."

"Wufei…" Sally shook her head at the hubris youth.

"Doctor! It's White Fang! It's sending a broadcast to the world!" a technician alerted him.

"What?"

The broadcast came through on Howard's computer.

Noin and Howard were in total shock.

"We are White Fang! Space belongs to the colonists! We took up arms for the colonists' independence! The Earth has oppressed the colonies for too long! Although the world nation declared disarmament, on Earth, OZ's military forces in space are still present."

* * *

CHICAGO CITYHOTEL, EARTH

"Therefore, I, Milliardo Peacecraft, as the leader of White Fang, hereby declare our intent to eliminate the root of all, all, the Earth!"

Usagi glared at the screen, her eyes never leaving the fiery blue eyes of the speaker. "Milli…" she growled. "Why are you doing this?"

"He's Zechs Merquise. That's good enough of a reason for him to do this," Heero replied emotionlessly.

Usagi turned her glare towards her partner. "Heero! You know Milli isn't like this! He's Earth-born! Goddess, he's trying to destroy his own planet! And Treize his best friend! Why the hell would he do this?"

Heero just gave a shrug. "It doesn't matter. I'll destroy him all the same.

"Heero…" It was no use trying to ease the rancor Heero felt for the (un)masked man.

"It's late, Usa. Why don't you try and get some sleep," Heero suggested, gently placing his hand on her clenched fist.

Usagi nodded, instantly relaxing under his touch. "You should get some rest too," she said softly.

"Hn. I'll be fine." Grabbing her elbow, he turned her around and lightly shoved her towards her room. "Go. Sleep," he ordered.

She sighed, leaning against the door frame, her eyes watching her partner as he returned to his precious laptop. "One day, I'll beat you with Twilight. Do you know why? Because you're sleep deprived."

"Hn!" Heero replied, turned away from his work to glare at her.

Usagi smirked. She loved getting on his nerves. "Good night, Heero-kun!"

* * *

PEACEMILLION

"Strong words for an Earth-born," Duo commented, unamused by the latest news. Wufei frowned.

"His goals are noble, but battle won't solve the bigger issue," Quatre declared. Trowa gave a small sigh, life just got a little more complication. Yeah, just a little.

"Hey!" one of Peacemillion's personnel shouted for their attention. "OZ's Barge is moving!"

"What!" the pilots exclaimed. "She's going to attack Libra! Where?"

"She'll intercept her close to L3," another crew member reported.

Wufei turned around and stomped toward the hanger.

"Where are you going Wufei?" Noin demanded.

"I'm going to fight them, of course! How can I just stay here and watch? If they want a space battle, I'm gonna give it to them!" Wufei spat. "The White Fang is an injustice to the colonies, just like Dermail is."

"But…!" Quatre started to object. "This isn't out fight."

"Then we'll make it our fight!" Wufei declared.

"And that's why I like you!" Duo cheered on. "My man! Come on! The more time we spend bantering our lives away, the less time we'll have to kick some OZ ass!"

Altron and Deathscythe Hell departed from Peacemillion. "We're off Captain Noin!"

"Then we must go too," Quatre said. "There's no point in only having Wufei and Duo out there. We must protect the colonies."

"Uh… right…" Noin stumbled, still dazed by Zechs' resolution.

"Noin? Shall we back them up?" Sally questioned.

"…" Noin just stared into space, lost in her thoughts

"Noin, this ship is neither the colonies nor OZ's. It's under your command," Howard told her. "Zechs didn't come back here, but he must have a reason."

"You're right," Noin said, her mind clearer. "I've got to believe in him." Turning to the crew, she ordered, "Peacemillion! Engage!" The fortress zoomed off towards the impending battle between Libra and OZ Barge.

'Earth versus space…' Noin thought, turning her gave to the blue star. 'Princess Relena must be in pain…'

* * *

ROMEFELLER HQ

_Knock, Knock!_

"Come in," Relena moaned as she rubbed her head. 'Milliardo…why!' The double door swung open to admit a pale blond woman clothed in the pink uniform of Peacecraft Academy.

"How are you, Queen Relena?" a silky voice purred.

'Oh no… Dorothy probably is going to try to convince me to declare war on the White Fang…and Milliardo…' Relena mentally groaned. 'Usa-chan…Sere-chan…I wish you were here to help me…'

"It must be hard for you to fight your own brother," Dorothy continued, stepping into the room. "Look, I brought you a guest." A cloaked man stepped into the office.

"Oh!" Relena's shot up and she stood up from her desk immediately.

"Greetings, Queen Relena," the elegant man saluted.

"Treize Khushrenada…" Relena replied, surprised. "I wasn't expecting you."

"Sorry to interrupt, your highness, but this is urgent," Treize said. "As long as you represent Earth, the Earth cannot go into battle."

"Are you asking me to resign?" Relena inquired.

"Correct. I cannot allow you to fight your own brother," Treize said. "I'll do that job."

"Must you fight my brother?"

"If that is what he wishes," Treize answered smoothly, knocking a window open. "War is between mankind, not between siblings."

"Yet war is not between friends either, Treize," Relena countered sharply.

"But who else could fight Milliardo, the Lightning Count?" Treize responded. "I grew up in the Romefeller Foundation, so I shall represent Romefeller in this matter," he said, facing the outdoors with his eyes close, breathing in the fresh scent of nature. It had been such a long time since he had been outdoors.

"But…!" Relena started to object.

Treize cut her off. "Don't worry about what will happen, Princess Relena of the Sanc Kingdom." He held his hand out to the wilderness. "You're free to go."

"Treize…I'd like to go to space…" Relena said, her eyes set in determination to reach her brother.

* * *

SOMEWHERE ON EARTH  
(No, they're not in Chicago anymore... you know Heero, he has to move a lot)

Usagi was surrounded by darkness. Flashes of blurry images surrounded her, most of them focused on a young woman she vaguely remembered.

'Isn't that Trowa's so-called older sister from the circus? What was her name…Catherine…?

As soon as she had thought that, flashes of the dreadful battle between the Wing Zero and the Mercurius and Vayeate sprang up unbidden. Quatre's face appeared, tears creating rivulets down his flushed cheeks.

'What does this mean? Will that battle repeat itself?'

Suddenly everything went black, even her mind. 'What's going on…? What am I doing here? Where am I?' Usagi sought her answers in desperation. She found that her own past seemed blank. 'Who am I? Why don't I remember anything…?'

All of sudden, Catherine's face emerged. "Trowa? Is that you…?" Her voice resonated around Usagi.

"Is that my name?" the voice of Trowa whispered.

"Have you lost your memory…?" Catherine's voice sounded worried.

Usagi's world went abruptly blank and she remembered everything, the battles she fought, her companions, and her missions.

She blinked and found herself in Twilight. Abruptly, six MD pointed their laser cannons and pinpoints of light shot at her.

"No!" She sat up in her bed of the motel, beads of sweat rolling off the curves of her pale face. 'Trowa!' she thought. She threw her covers off of herself and rushed into the room Heero was in.

"Heero," Usagi sat on the desk he was working at, placing a hand on his to stop him from hacking into any more computers. "We have to leave."

Heero looked at her in surprise, taking in her disheveled appearance. "What's this about…?"

"Just a feeling," Usagi said, stressing her last word. "You know my intuition is rarely wrong."

"Hn." He focused his attention back onto the screen of his beloved laptop, which was at the present moment searching for the whereabouts of the cryptic scientists that constructed the powerful Gundams.

She removed her hand from his and placed a finger on the reboot button. He grabbed her hand roughly, yet gently, and glared, clearly irritated. "Why?"

"We've got to get back to the rest," she stated firmly, her eyes demanding. "Something's going to happen…something big."

"Hn. You're not done with training," Heero pointed out.

Usagi made a face. "We can battle on the way. The White Fang is getting out of hand. The fact that Dermail is in space is only exacerbating the situation. I have a feeling they're going to be battling soon!"

"Fine. We should go." He was still holding her hand.

'I hope we make it in time…!' Usagi thought, troubled.

* * *

SPACE CLOSE TO L3

Copious amounts of MD and MS were scattered through the area, flashes and explosions sparked around in the dark void of space.

"We're stronger!" Duke Dermail yelled over their communication system. "Go for it!"

"OZ is disorganized!" Quinze forcefully bellowed into the White Fang communication system. "We can beat them! If we take this battle, we'll have space!"

OZ and White Fang weren't the only ones battling. Altron was bashing in MD and MS all over the place, regardless of whose side they were on.

"We should take a side!" Duo said as Deathscythe annihilated MD with his energy scythe. "That would be easier, right Quatre?" He glanced at the small window on his screen that housed the communication link between him and the strategic pilot of Sandrock.

"We can't make them stop the battle," Quatre responded by slashing another MD. "All we can do is protect the colonies."

Trowa was mutilating MD and MS alike with his vast amount of ammunition when he noticed a bunch of MD Virgos heading toward the colony. 'Catherine's in there…' was his only thought as he set off in pursuit of the offending mechas.

He managed to destroy two of the MD before he found himself surrounded. 'Kuso…!'

"Trowa! Watch out!" Sandrock rushed in front of Heavyarms and took all the hits. 'I can't let him get hurt anymore!'

"Quatre…!" An onslaught of memories barged into Trowa's head. _'You don't have to cry alone.'_

-

"Kuso! It looks like they started without us!" Usagi grumbled to Heero as they approached Peacemillion.

"Hn. Peacemillion. This is 01 and 06. Requesting entry," Heero said flatly, opening radio contact.

The shocked faces of Howard and Noin appeared on their screens.

"Heero! Usagi!" Noin gasped.

Howard was the first to regain his composure. "Entry acknowledged. Proceed, Wing Zero and Zero Twilight." The larger of the docking ports on the craft opened, permitting the two Gundams entrance into the massive ship."

Noin ran out to meet the pair on the dock. "Where's Princess Relena?"

Usagi smiled softly. "Don't worry. As head of the Romefeller Foundation, Dermail has little power on Earth. As long as she remains in that position, the Earth will not fight and she will stay safe."

"But… Zechs…"

"Hn. Zechs just wants a big fight," Heero sneered contemptuously. "And we'll give it to him."

"Heero!" Usagi reprimanded sharply. "Milliardo must have a good reason for doing this. He won't intentionally kill his little sister!"

"Hn. That's why Relena should stay down on Earth and leave the battling to us," Heero retorted.

"She is on Earth!" Usagi declared.

"But for how long? You know how she is, she'll come up here to either her brother or to Peacemillion," he shot back.

"But she can't, not while she holds her position as Queen of the World Nations," Usagi said with finality.

"You mean if she holds her position as Queen."

"She's already accepted as the Queen of the World Nations, baka!"

Heero scowled. No one called him baka and got away with it… 'Though, come to think of it, she's gotten away with it before. Why am I even bothering to argue with her in the first place?' "So? She abdicated her throne in Sanc for her pacifist ideals; she can do it again with Romefeller."

"She knows what she's doing!"

"But is what she's doing for the best?"

Usagi suppressed the urge to stick her tongue out at him. He always he to have the last word! 'Why am I even arguing with that baka in the first place?' "She's pushing for peace! Look at Earth! There hasn't been a single major battle since took over!"

"You mean battles we know about."

They were interrupted by the sound of laughter as the two turned to see Sally attempting to stifle her chortles with a hand and Noin looking very amused.

"Usagi, you have some replacement parts ready in the storage…" Noin started off.

Usagi shook her head. "No. The more time we spend in here, the less time we get to kick some Romefeller and White Fang ass."

"That's basically what your brother said," Noin claimed with a chuckle.

"Hn. Hurry up," Heero all but ordered.

"A restock on ammo would be nice, Heero. Especially after battling you all the way here," Usagi muttered as she returned to Twilight's cockpit. To her intense relief, the energy supply was replenished from the period of rest the mecha received while in Peacemillion.

"Usagi! Use this!" Noin yelled out, pointing to the sleek white rifle on the ground to the side. "It was ordered for you anyway."

Usagi's eyes lit up. "Arigato!" Twilight picked up the weapon.

"Ikimasu," Usagi and Heero whispered in unison, both Gundams leaving Peacemillion's hanger at the exact same time. (1)

'First stop, Trowa…' Usagi thought.

-

"Quatre!" Trowa called out through their communication link. "Are… are you ok…?" There was a lick of fear in his voice.

"I'm… okay…" Quatre replied weakly. "But… Sandrock is in bad shape."

"Thank you, Quatre," Trowa said, smiling a little. "That's the second time you've saved my life."

Quatre's eyes widened. 'Second time…? But the first time was… in the LA base…! Could it be?' "You…you remember that? Trowa! You got your memories back!"

Unfortunately, that moment was not the best time to celebrate as the MD that had previously shot at them lined up to deliver that last blow.

Suddenly, from above, two crossing beams annihilated the MD surrounding the pair. The boys glanced upwards to see Zero Twilight and Wing Zero zoom down in victory.

"Hey Quatre! Trowa!" Usagi yelled.

"Guys! Get out of here! The battle's almost over," Heero instructed.

"Heero! Usagi!" Quatre and Trowa greeted.

Twilight flew over to help her brother. "Duo!"

"Sere! Glad to see you're back!" Duo replied, slashed through an MD to the side of him while Usagi shot a beam blade at another. They fought back-to-back, with their scythe and saber, destroying anything that came near.

-

"White Fang! Halt!" Milliardo ordered to his soldiers through their communication system.

-

Usagi looked around. "The White Fang's suits stopped?"

"Dunno…what are they up to now?" Duo replied.

-

Milliardo issued the next command. "Libra! Main battery, fire!"

-

Usagi gasped as a brilliant beam of light and energy erupted from the center of the Libra.

All the pilots, Gundam or not, watched in horror and fascination as the beam of light shot straight towards OZ Barge.

-

Duke Dermail and Tubarov shielded their eyes from the light.

They never really knew what hit them.

-

**KABOOM!**

The OZ Barge was obliterated.

* * *

The defeat of OZ in space gave White Fang dominance over space. But soon, a message from Earth shocked space.

-

"I'm the leader of the world nation, Treize Khushrenada! White Fang made a big mistake revolting against Mother Earth! By God's will, we will bury you! "

**Author's Notes:**

(1) Ikimasu: along the lines of "let's go"


	11. The Beginning of the End

Chapter 11  
_The Beginning of the End_

SPACE

After the defeat of the OZ Barge, the Libra steadily neared the Earth. A shuttle approached the battleship.

_"Space, you say?" Treize queried after he got a concrete resignation from the former queen. "Will you do me a favor then?"_

_"That depends," Relena said slowly, watching the elder man carefully._

_Treize gave a chuckle. "It's nothing serious. I'm sure you'll meet up with Serenity or Usagi in space. Could you return this to her?" he asked, holding out a silver necklace. "She left it with me last time, but she has completed the mission I assigned her. It's time I return this to its rightful owner."_

_Relena stared at the pendant, catching the engraved name, then nodded. "I understand. I'll give it to her the minute I see her."_

_"My deepest gratitude, Princess Relena," Treize said gravely._

Relena clutched the silver cross that hung around her neck in her hand, wishing she had Usagi's strength and determination. She opened a radio line to the Libra. "This is Relena Peacecraft! I wish to speak with White Fang's leader Milliardo Peacecraft!"

-

LIBRA

'Here she comes!' Milliardo thought. "Lead her in. I'll meet her at the deck," he ordered.

"Yes sir!"

-

'He's wrong!' Relena thought as the ship entered the docking port. 'It's not right for him and Treize to be fighting. No one should be fighting. The Earth and the colonies are both losing!'

-

The two siblings met in an unhappy reunion in a conference room.

"I'm going to stop the Earth from threatening the peace," Milliardo said firmly, just like his stubborn self.

"Brother! Please think this over!" Relena protested, just like _her_ stubborn self. Dorothy, who had accompanied the former Queen was standing behind her, smiled secretively. "Peace cannot be achieved through battle and bloodshed!"

There was an uneasy hiatus.

"I think you're wrong," Relena stated, breaking the ice.

Milliardo shot a glace at his younger sister. "What makes you so sure of that?" he asked, incredulity evident in your voice.

Relena's eyes narrowed slightly. "Because I'm Relena Peacecraft, you're sister." (1)

"My dearest Relena…" Milliardo took a step towards her. "You've grown to be a strong woman. But please, stay kind," Milliardo implored, hugging the last of his family.

"Brother…?" Relena gasped, surprised at the sudden show of warmth and caring.

Milliardo suddenly broke the contact, whipping around. "Go back to Earth or live on a colony. Do as you like," he told her, heading for the exit. "I'm fighting Treize."

"I'm not leaving until you change your mind," Relena retorted.

The door slid open. "Don't hold you breath."

"Milliardo!"

The door hissed shut as his response.

"Miss Relena, why don't you take a little break and talk to him later?" Dorothy suggested comfortingly. "I'm sure he'll be much more reasonable after a bit of rest."

Relena closed her eyes and nodded, suddenly exhausted. "You're right. A bit of rest would do some good. I'm tired after my flight. You're free to go wherever, Dorothy. There's no need to stay here, in danger."

"I'll say here with you," Dorothy said officiously. "After all, it's a VIP seat for the upcoming battle..." she said with a chuckle.

* * *

PEACEMILLION

After the arrival of Heero and Usagi, the 6 Gundam Pilots gathered.

"It was a lot of work, but your Gundams have been repaired," Howard told them. "Usagi, Quatre, Trowa, I've finished upgrading Zero Twilight, Sandrock, and Heavyarms. They should be more mobile in space now."

"Thank you Howard-san," Usagi murmured. Quatre added his thanks as well and Trowa nodded in gratitude.

"So, what are you six going to do now?" Howard asked them.

"Take on Libra, of course!" Duo said, speaking for all of them, leaning casually against the wall. "We'll destroy it, once and for all."

"But will it end the war?" Sally wondered.

"No. The war will go on," Quatre stated, gesticulating with a nuance of passion. "Earth made a declaration of war, and they're not about to back out of it."

"We must take into consideration Libra's main battery," Trowa said quietly, as prudent and pertinent as ever.

"That is true. With firepower like that, who knows what White Fang will do," Usagi agreed. "Milliardo must not be the only one running White Fang. He's not dumb enough to try to destroy Earth."

"Zechs just wants us to fight with him," Heero said simply. Usagi glared at him.

"Heero…" Noin was still in pain about Zechs' decisions. 'I can't do this! Are you trying to test my loyalty to my cause, or to you, Zechs?' She turned to Usagi, the only other person who understood the complex man known as Milliardo Peacecraft. "What about you, Usagi? What is your take on Milliardo's peculiar behavior?"

"Noin, I know this pains you, but Heero's right. Milliardo has an undeniable passion for battle; he rebuilt a gundam, not even for himself, just to satisfy his taste. He wants us to battle him. Perhaps it's wiser if we join Treize and the World Nations," Usagi speculated.

"No!" Wufei objected. "His goals are selfish and un-noble!"

Usagi smirked, fiddling with one of her streamers of hair. The golden mass was back in heart-shaped buns. "Or maybe because you're miffed that if I hadn't defeated you last time, Treize would have."

Wufei reddened. "He's mine! I will defeat Treize!" He stalked off to his quarters.

"Wufei…!" Usagi sweat dropped. "Ano, I didn't realize he was still so pissed off about that…" she muttered to herself, frowning as she crossed her arms as she left through the other side.

"Well, that went well," Duo said, putting his hands behind his head as he straightened. "I'm off to catch a couple of winks. Wake me up when the Great Destroyer is summoned to battle."

The members of the Peacemillion force dispersed, going their own ways to prepare for the forthcoming battle.

-

'Treize…' Usagi was sitting in the cockpit of Twilight, as if it was a sanctuary for peace, despite the fact that it was meant for war. 'You do realize you'll be fighting your best friend, right? Why are you and Milliardo doing this? There must be something I'm not getting… Whatever MS Treize builds in this short notice will not have the fire power or agility of the Epyon; not even Wing Gundam from Sanc could stand up to it. They must not be battling each other then. No, that must not have been their intentions from the beginning of this stratagem. Wufei will battle Treize, and Heero will battle Milliardo. But why pit the colonies against the Earth? What would that accomplish?'

She ran her hands lovingly over the controls, her hands falling down to the main movement regulator. Unconsciously, she entered the Zero activation code and the system flared to golden life. (2)

'Zero?'

Small beeping noises emitted from the cockpit system.

"I know I should trust them. But after everything they've done… Everyone they've hurt…"

The screens flared to light, a brilliant golden blaze.

"Show me…"

More, high-pitched beeping chimed out.

"I see… So that's why…"

* * *

SPACE SECTOR MO-II

Treize and his Leo troops waited for Libra at resource satellite MO-II near Earth.

"Commander Khushrenada, it's dangerous to lead troops at the front!" an officer warned him.

"Don't worry about me," Treize acknowledged, "this old MS knight has absolutely no fear of MD." He had the MS developers of the former Romefeller Foundation create a seconded, modified Tallgeese II. "Give it all you've got!" he commanded.

"Yes sir!"

-

'We'll fight with the MS Leos, okay, Milliardo?' Treize thought to his companion as if Milliardo could hear him.

* * *

LIBRA

"I need a favor, Doctors," Milliardo said, in the rebuilt Mercurius and Vayeate hanger where the 5 doctors that created the Operation M Gundams were being held in Libra.

"Ouch!" Doctor J mocked. "White Fang's enlisting us! How low can we stoop? Can we not help our own Gundam pilots?"

"J!" Professor G reprimanded, "What now, Mr. Commander? We can't make MD any stronger, you know."

"Sure, those two," Master O indicated to the two MS in the hanger, "and the Virgo II should do it."

"It's about the MD identification programs," Milliardo said, cutting to the chase. He told them his plan, his eyes observing their reactions warily.

"Oh… I see…" Doctor J's goggles flashed. "Leave it to us. It will be done."

-

Only a few hours after Milliardo had returned to the deck did the Libra finally enter the proximity of MO-II where the World Nation and Treize awaited them.

"We're in the combat area!" one of the White Fang members manning the Libra's controls stated.

"Roger that!" Quinze announced. "Go, MD troops!"

-

BATTLE SPACE

"Attention all MS," Treize ordered as the MS began to file out of the battleship. "Sink Libra!"

"World Nation's Leo troops, go!"

-

"They're just old Leos! They are no match for the brand new Virgo II!" Quinze encouraged his troops. "Destroy them!"

-

"We outnumber them!" Treize asserted. "Let's get them!"

-

Peacemillion also entered the vicinity of MO-II and deployed their own forces, including the 6 Gundams.

"It's show time!" Duo cheered.

"Our target is Libra!" Trowa reminded them. "Remember that!"

"Try to keep the casualties low, everyone!" Usagi said cheerfully.

"We can do this together, ok!" Quatre stated. "We'll end this battle of nonsense!"

"I'll beat anyone in my way!" Wufei ranted.

Usagi sweat dropped. "I will stay far away from Wufei in this battle…" she muttered.

Duo laughed. "Me too!" Usagi's giggles joined Duo's on the radio.

"You guys!" Quatre interrupted. "Stay focused! This is no time to crack jokes."

"Yes sir Quatre sir!" the siblings chorused.

"I'll back you guys up!" Sally informed them from the main deck in Peacemillion. "Good luck!"

"Why is Zechs…?" Noin trailed off as she activated her white Taurus.

"Here we go!" Heero engaged Wing Zero's boosters and the 7 MS zoomed off to the battlefield.

They made quick work of the MD, and Quatre, Trowa, and Usagi were trying to destroy only MD, but sometimes an MS would attack.

Usagi flew straight towards Libra. "Milliardo, you are too noble for your own good!"

"Sere-chan?" Duo called out to Twilight. "Wait…! You can't go there alone!" Too late, Twilight was already gone, zooming away at top speed with its stealth cloaking activated, her path only marked by small explosions as unsuspecting MD were decimated. "Sis… Be careful…"

Quatre noticed something as he watched a nearby match between an old Leo and the new Virgo. "Weird. Why are the Leos beating the MD so easily?"

Trowa was fighting near the blond. "You're right, Quatre. The Virgo II aren't resisting the Leos at all."

Duo, too, had noticed. "What's up with these MD?"

"Machine-controlled MS are too weak compared to the honorable minds of the strong!" Wufei yelled, Nataku's twin dragon fangs extended to destroy two nearby MD, his favorite technique in finishing off his enemy.

-

LIBRA MAIN CONTROL DECK

"What's wrong with the MD!" Quinze was in shock. "Why aren't they attacking the Leos!"

Milliardo closed his eyes, taking this in an extremely calm state. "The MD will be annihilated."

"Damn! Check the MD's programming!" Quinze ordered.

"Yes sir!"

"What! They're programmed so they can't attack the Leo! Fix the program now!" Quinze demanded, panicking.

-

BATTLE SPACE

"Bad news. You can't fix that program so easily," Doctor J said, shaking a finger on his only hand. "Now you know the foolishness of MD. Mindless dolls are no match for humans."

"The battle's even now," Master O said from the back of their escape capsule that Milliardo had so graciously prepared.

"Now let's get the hell out of here!" Professor G and Professor H directed their small ship towards Peacemillion.

-

"It seems my friend Milliardo figured out my intentions," Treize said quietly. "This will be a battle of attrition." The Tallgeese destroyed a White Fang MD. "Now I can devote my life to the battle!"

-

Usagi observed a nearby match between a Leo and a MD along the way to Libra. The MD ignored the Leo and swarmed over to her. '…Just as Zero suspected… They're going to get rid of them all.' she thought, slashing through three MD with her beam saber, her disks taking out three more, leaving two for the Leo to annihilate. She opened link with the Leo. "Officer Tsukino here. The rest of the MD are yours. Make Commander Treize proud."

The Leo pilot gaped at the figure saluting him. "The…the legendary Usagi Tsukino…that La…Lady Une… and h…his Excellency always talk about…is a Gundam pilot…?"

Twilight halted and turned to face the Leo. "They talk about me?" she questioned.

"Yes ma'am," the soldier responded, taking out the two MD. "They're always talking about your piloting skills, your swordsmanship, and your code of honor."

Usagi blinked. "Really…?" she whispered to herself.

"I recall overhearing them speculating when you would return to the Treize faction," the soldier informed her.

Usagi looked at him gravely. "Tell him I've never left his side." Usagi saluted the soldier and flew off, towards Libra, towards Milliardo.

"Yes si… er… ma'am!" The soldier saluted back and opened a link with his Excellency to relay the message.

-

"I'm going out. I can't rely on MD in this state." Milliardo said, leaving the dock. "Quinze, take the bridge."

"Understood." Milliardo exited the room and Quinze narrowed his eyes. "He'd better not betray us…!"

-

'Milliardo…!' Usagi zoomed towards Libra. 'You must there. Epyon hasn't been deployed yet,' Usagi calculated. She broke into a hanger and found Epyon. Activating the stealth cloak, she quickly exited her suit. 'Should I wait? I know a man like him can't deter his love of battle…' but she shook her head and when stealthily on, her gun ready at all times.

-

LIBRA

"Dorothy!"

"Yes, Mr. Milliardo?" Dorothy looked up from her work, setting the white round object down.

"What are you doing?" Milliardo questioned. "Why aren't you with my sister?"

"I'm getting ready, Mr. Milliardo," Dorothy answered zealously, her hands clasped in front of her. "I know she's coming. I have a little bit of business to finish with her." She indicated to two long rods of metal. "Miss Relena is in the quarters you assigned to her. But I'm guessing she will be coming out to look for you soon, or else try to interfere."

Milliardo's jaw line tightened. "But she mustn't…!" the blond man muttered quietly to himself. 'She doesn't understand…!'

"Go out to your battlefield, Mr. Milliardo," Dorothy said, returning to her wiring work. "She can't do too much damage to the battle, not now, least ways."

Milliardo gave the suited up girl a calculating look. "You're an interesting character, Dorothy."

Dorothy chuckled. "So many people have told me. Humans can't live without the art of fighting."

Milliardo's eyes narrowed. 'Hmmm… Then she doesn't know…'

"Go show the world what a real battle is like."

Milliardo nodded. "May the world learn from it."

"And if you see her, send her here, will you?" Dorothy asked in a silky voice.

Milliardo was already down the next corridor.

"Well, some people are in a rush today!" Dorothy chuckled. "Not that I can blame him…!" She went back to work.

-

Usagi's eyes caught a flash of pale blond hair. 'Dare ga? Milliardo?' (3)

She quickly followed the person, checking to make sure she had a full clip in her silencer.

He knew she was following him. He stopped suddenly and turned around, facing the heart-shaped odango haired girl. "Serenity."

"Milliardo."

"Have you come to end it, like Heero?" he speculated out loud, noticing the gun in her hand.

"No. I've come to demand that you stay away from Heero," she said firmly. "I won't let you battle him."

"I must. It's my destiny."

"Destiny?" Usagi asked, incredulous. "I don't believe in a path set for you. You make your own future."

"And I've chosen this future," he said. "Out of everything the Epyon has shown me, I've taken this path to end the bloodshed."

Usagi pursed her lips in a frown, then changed the subject. "What will you do with Libra after all the MD and MS are destroyed?"

Milliardo shot a surprising glance at her. "You know…?"

Only three words were needed to explain. "Zero knows all."

Milliardo nodded. "I see. Like everything else, Libra will be destroyed in the end, I haven't considered how. But I do know that I must finish my battle with the one who calls himself Heero Yuy or my own battle will never end."

Usagi's blue eyes softened, suddenly understanding why he went through such great lengths to fight Heero. "You'd still fight him even after peace has settled in the colonies and Earth if you didn't fight him now." She sighed. "Well, you might as well have my blessings and get it over with," she conceded wryly.

Milliardo gave her a hug, grateful that she approved the battle between the two people she cared about. He stepped out of the embrace and threw her a long, thin black object. "You'll need this."

She caught it with ease. "Your sword…?" She unsheathed the magnificent blade partway.

"Heero and I are not the only ones with battles to finish. Treize and Wufei have their combat, and so do you."

Usagi caught on to his meaning. "Where is she?" said questioned, returning the blade to its case, but her hand held tightly to the intricate gold inlayed handle.

"End of the corridor, left wing, large door. She's waiting."

Usagi's face hardened. "So is Heero." She started striding down to her destination.

"Good bye, Serenity."

Usagi balked, and spun around, catching on an almost remorseful tone in his voice. "Wha…? Milliardo…?"

He was gone.

Her eyes shimmered in sadness as she realized he was looking for his death in this battle. She turned around to face her own destiny.

-

'Ah, so that's how she got in! Twilight has the same cloaking system her brother's has. Very nice!' Milliardo complimented as he walked past it to his Epyon. 'It's so defenseless here… It would be a shame to see it destroyed…hmmm…no one should be entering this hanger anyways…I suppose it will be safest here…' Milliardo blasted off into space. 'Good luck, Serenity. Show her what a Gundam Pilot is made of.'

'So how should I end this battle?' he pondered to himself. 'Where's the key player?'

A loud beep announced the arrival of a large energy source.

'Here he comes… Wing Gundam Zero!' Milliardo smirked. "Heero Yuy!"

"Zechs!" Heero had been roaming aimlessly throughout the beginning of the battle, destroying random MS and MD if they bothered him, focused on one thing, waiting for the one MS that could challenge his skill, firepower, and beliefs.

The two MS started avidly at it, again, both systems activating as all weapons were set into play.

-

"Miss Usagi, I've been waiting," Dorothy purred, stepping back.

Usagi lowered her gun, not wanting to kill an unarmed person. "I know."

Dorothy gave a look of utmost surprise.

"I figured that if Heero and Wufei are going to finish their own battles, I'll have to finish my own."

Dorothy picked up the sword she selected to use. Usagi drew the blade Milliardo granted her.

"I see you're prepared. Well then, I suppose you won't be needing this then," Dorothy threw the other blade into the corner of the room.

Usagi watched silently as Dorothy picked up a white object from the ground and slipped it onto her head.

"This helmet is equipped with the Zero System," Dorothy said, patting the helmet on her head with her free hand. "There's another one, if you would like to use it." She pointed to the other helmet on the floor in the corner of the room.

"I would rather not," Usagi said after a slight hesitation. "The Zero System takes me to my maximum ability, and I wouldn't want to risk hurting someone who's just trying out the system." She got into her fighting stance, seeing a slight motion in Dorothy.

But Dorothy didn't touch her, but merely destroyed the extra helmet, the tip of the sword shattering the white semi-dome to pieces.

"Wha…?" Usagi stared at her in disbelief, but not letting her guard down.

Dorothy smirked. "Oh, but who said I haven't used this system before…!" Dorothy charged, slashing down. Usagi dodged, slashing at the girl's unprotected back. But Dorothy saw this and took this opportunity to block and drive her sword up, knocking Usagi off balance. "Tsk tsk. Wasn't it you who lectured 'don't underestimate your opponent?'" she mocked.

Usagi quickly recuperated, gritting her teeth. 'The system can predict my every move. The only choice I have is either to distract her, or wear her out. I've got to be more careful…'

She began a methodical kata that Wufei had the good graces to show her when they were on Earth after Colonel Une had shot her. Dorothy blocked every move, and broke the sequence. Usagi quickly shifted into another kata she learned before she even left the colonies in Operation M. Once again Dorothy broke the chain of movements. Usagi drew back and took a defensive stance.

Dorothy was serious about this. No longer was this a dispute over Relena and Heero. Now, it was the mutual and personal hatred.

-

BATTLE SPACE

"Not bad! You aren't controlled by the system anymore!" Milliardo acknowledged.

"Hn!" Heero grunted, blocking a blow from Epyon's powerful green beam saber with his own. "It's been a while since we last battled. Let's settle it right here, right now! In space!"

"If you insist!" Milliardo replied.

For once, Heero was doing the talking. "The Earth-born are representing the colonies now, huh!" Heero demanded. "I'm your enemy! Don't get others involved in our battle!" Their sabers clashed once more, energy sparking from the contact.

"Our fight comes afterwards!" Milliardo insisted. "This battle has to involve every human! Humans will never realize the error of their ways unless things end in a fiasco!" Epyon backed away from the sword lock and pointed the green saber at Wing Zero, or more specifically, Heero. "You and I should be leading this revolution together! It's not too late! Join me!"

"What!"

"The colonists' leader, Heero Yuy, and King Peacecraft of the Sanc Kingdom once advocated absolute pacifism in space and on Earth," Milliardo explained, touching up on recent history. "We must honor their memories and continue their efforts."

"I get it! You and Treize are trying to destroy all military forces with this battle!"

"Precisely. Pacifism will never be plausible with military presence!"

"Humph!" Heero withdrew from his fighting stance, knowing their battle was at a temporary hiatus. "Only an OZ officer would think like that!"

Milliardo smirked. "You mean, ex-officer."

Recognition flashed in his eyes as he remembered another OZ officer contradicting him with the same line. "Hn. But your sister would say 'peace should never be achieved by war.'"

"Yes. That's why the next age needs her. Treize and I can and will take care of this ugly battle and destroy it all," he said. "Your job is to protect Relena. She's in the core block of Libra. Go save her before Quinze decides to kill her. Serenity's there as well. She and Dorothy have some quarrels to settle. Meantime, I'll fight the Earth as White Fang."

"Fine. But I will settle things with you when I return."

"I look forward to it!" Milliardo said, watching Wing Zero shift into MA mode.

"You're mine, Zechs!"

With that last threat, Wing Zero zoomed off for Libra.

-

LIBRA

Dorothy took this opportunity to start a series of complicated moves of feigning, slashing, dodging, and thrusting of her weapon. Usagi dodged them all, never striking back. Dorothy slashed sideways, and Usagi flipped over her head, managing to land a swipe at the protective helmet, informing Dorothy that she found a weak spot.

"Very nicely done, Miss Usagi," Dorothy complimented, spinning around to face her opponent. "But you'll never land another blow on me."

"We'll just see about that…!" Usagi let out a fury of onslaughts, but Dorothy, equipped with the Zero System, was well prepared for them.

-

BATTLE SPACE

"Zechs!" A white Taurus approached the commander.

"Noin…?"

"Zechs! I overheard your conversation with Heero! I feel so foolish! I should have trusted your motives from the beginning," Noin said. "How could I have doubted you?"

"Noin, no one blames you for anything," Zechs said gently.

"I'll fight on your side to prove myself useful all the same!" Tears spilled from the corners of her eyes in passion and happiness that Zechs was not the mass murderer of the White Fang that he originally had been portrayed as.

"Thank you Noin. For your thoughts and for your offer. Go stay with Relena for me," he told her.

"Yes, Zechs," she responded. "If that's what you want me to do." The Taurus transformed into MA mode and sped off after Heero.

"Serenity, Heero, Noin: thank you for bringing back my kind heart," Milliardo whispered. "But I'll become the devil to show people the foolishness of war!" His eyes hardened into icicles as the Zero System activated, sensing the pilot's desire for battle.

"Mission: destruction of as many weapons as possible…with Gundam Epyon!" Explosions of MD and MS alike surrounded him as he slashed out with Epyon's powerful beam saber. He might be the leader of the White Fang, but he fought this battle like a valiant lone wolf.

-

Quatre, Duo, Trowa, and Wufei were dealing quick work to the MD and MS that dared near them.

"Duo! Take the left flank of the MD!" Quatre ordered, the strategic leader since Heero was a little occupied.

"I'm on it!" The MD didn't know what hit them. Deathscythe kept on his stealth cloak until the last minute.

"Trowa, above you!" Quatre warned, shooting at a couple of MD himself.

Trowa nodded in the vidlink-screen at the blond as he directed him machine cannons to the MD approaching him from above.

"Wufei! Stay concentrated! Don't wander off! We've got to work together this time or what happened at the Sanc Kingdom will just repeat itself!"

Wufei grit his teeth, returning to the vicinity of their territory. He took out two Leos with his powerful flamethrowers.

"Oi, Wu-man! You don't have to get the MS! They're not attacking us! Just the MD!" Duo reminded him.

"I don't care!" he growled. "If they follow Treize Khushrenada, I'll destroy them!"

-

LIBRA

"Damn it! My MD are useless and the Gundam are here!" Quinze said. "Charge the main battery!" he commanded.

"What's the target?"

He pointed at the giant blue and white marbled in the midst of black and bloodshed. "The center of the enemy… the Earth!"

-

MO-II, TEMPORARY HQ FOR OZ SPACE FORCES

"Lady Une! They're charging up her main battery!"

"What's the target?" she demanded, clenching the sides of the chair she sat in.

"Us!" was the reply. "The Earth may also be severely damaged."

'His Excellency…! I won't let them hurt Commander Khushrenada!' Lady Une shakily rose from her seat. She had not walked since the day Tubarov and the rest of Romefeller shoved their foul colors to OZ. "Is Wing Gundam from Sanc Kingdom ready for operation?"

"Hai. The cockpit is repaired and a space booster is attached," the soldier dutifully reported.

That was all she needed to hear. Gathering strength, she bolted for the Gundam.

"No! Lady Une! You mustn't…!"

Too late. She was gone.

-

BATTLE SPACE

'Libra's going to fire her main battery,' Treize noted calmly, a sorrowful smile on his elegant face. 'But I won't back off. My dear Earth will be hit…' He moved the Tallgeese II so he was between the Libra and the Earth. 'And I will be burned along with it…'

-

PEACEMILLION

The creators of all the Gundams, with the exception of the mysterious Dr. M, had all gathered together once more.

"Don't let her fire the main battery!" Sally yelled.

"The Earth would be seriously damaged!" Dr. J said. And he would know; he had been forced to help construct the damn thing.

"How can we stop that?" a crew member said.

Sally and Howard shared a glance and the two nodded. "Engage all engines. Approach Libra at all costs."

The crew quickly obeyed, each one willing to stop the main battery cannon at all costs. Peacemillion sped toward the Libra at full speed, all engines engaged at full power. "Go for a tackle!" Howard ordered.

"Brace for impact!" Sally commanded to the crew.

-

LIBRA

"Main battery at full power!" a soldier saluted Quinze.

"All right then," Quinze said, his hand hovering above the red button. "Main battery, fire!"

But just as he pressed that button, Peacemillion collided into one of Libra's wings, causing the ship to sharply tilt.

"What?"

-

Usagi had been blocking all of Dorothy's stabs with success, but was suddenly shaken off course. Even the Zero System had not expected this turn of events as Dorothy too, was thrown to the ground, not only from the recoil of the main battery, but from the impact of Peacemillion.

'Nani?' Usagi thought. 'What's going on? Did they fire the main battery? Is everyone ok…?'

-

BATTLE SPACE

The beam of energy still shot towards Earth, but a bit to the side, but the angle was enough difference to prevent the beam from even touching the Earth's atmosphere.

"It missed the target," Trowa said, letting out the breath of air he didn't know he had been holding.

"Peacemillion!" Quatre cried in worry. "What damage did it take from the impact?"

Wufei suddenly sped away from their battle formation.

"Wufei! Come back!" Quatre called out.

"It's okay," Duo said, an arm of Deathscythe stopping Sandrock from pursuing the delinquent MS. "He has a battle to finish."

-

Unfortunately for Heero, the change in course of Libra caused Wing Zero to come dangerously close to the beam she sent out, and he just managed to avoid any serious damage to his precious Gundam.

He raced on towards Relena and Usagi.

-

Though the beam had missed the Earth, Treize was still in its pernicious path. He was prepared to die at that very moment.

A MS in MA mode approached him.

"Zero One?"

At the last minute, Wing Gundam transformed into MS mode and shoved the Tallgeese forcefully out of the way. "Commander!"

"Lady Une?" Though the brave woman had managed to save Treize, her borrowed suit was hit heavily, the lower half of the Gundam destroyed. The beam continued to travel through space.

"Why did you do that?" Treize asked, his eyes wide.

"You said," Lady Une said softly, "that a battle is beautiful when it's fought."

"You're right, Lady," Treize said, his mind clearer about his real task at hand. "You always help me when I need it."

"No," the woman said modestly. "I'm just happy to assist you."

"Thank you, Lady Une. I sincerely appreciate your efforts," Treize said. "With this battle against Milliardo, I forgot I still have to settle it with Chang Wufei."

"I'm right here, Treize!" Wufei declared. The mighty Nataku faced the Tallgeese.

"If I don't come back, you'll be in charge of the forces," Treize said. "My Lady Une."

"Understood, sir," Lady Une said, a tear forming at the edge of her eyes from sadness that she knew Treize would not come back, but more from happiness that he had acknowledged her as his.

"Let's get it on, Treize!" Wufei yelled.

"Come on, Wufei!" Treize retaliated, locking his saber with Wufei's trident.

"Show me what you've got!"

-

LIBRA

Peacemillion and Libra smoldered in the ruins.

"Report!" Quinze yelled.

"We've been rammed! The impact has damaged the main battery!" a soldier said, loading statistics onto the main screen.

"Shit! Why does everything have to be so goddamn complicated?" Quinze raved. "No matter, we still have our ultimate plan!"

-

PEACEMILLION

"Sally! Evacuate all the crew and civilians to MO-II. I'm sure they'll take everyone in," Howard ordered.

"Yes sir!" Sally issued the remaining crew members in the control deck to go help evacuate the civilians on their damaged ship. "What about you?"

"We'll stay here 'til the last minute," Howard said, speaking for all of the scientists. "Please let us."

"Doctor…" Sally was speechless. 'They want to stay on this Hell-hole?'

"I think we've lived too long," Dr. J said.

Sally nodded understandingly.

-

BATTLE SPACE

"Look! Peacemillion's evacuating!" Quatre told the other two.

"Quatre, go lead the evacuation to MO-II. I just got in contact with them. They'll take them all in," Duo instructed, very serious now as he watched two MS approaching. "Trowa, you go destroy Libra's main engine."

"Negative. Usagi and Heero are already in Libra; they'll take care of it," Trowa stated firmly. "I'll help Quatre with the evacuation."

"Roger that," Duo said, nodding in satisfaction.

"What will you be doing, Duo?" Quatre inquired.

"I've got a bit of business to settle," Duo said softly, turning his gundam to face his next opponents. "Death has a couple more names on his list."

"Quatre, let's go," Trowa said, catching on. Neither of them wanted Quatre to panic at the sight of the two MS he had fought against in Wing Zero.

Heavyarms and Sandrock flew off towards the mess of Peacemillion and Libra.

"Mercurius! Vayeate!" Duo challenged. "Let's rock it!"

-

LIBRA

"That's enough!" Relena forcefully yelled at Quinze. She had broken out of her confining room Dorothy and Milliardo had locked her in and raced into the command center. "I won't let you the innocent people on the Earth get involved in the stupid battle!"

"Shut up!" Quinze retorted. "They don't understand how the colonists feel! I'll multiply the pain they gave us and return it to their sorry faces!"

"You're insane!" Relena shouted.

"But first," Quinze brought out a gun, "I'll sent you to hell!"

**BANG!**

Relena gasped, expecting pain, but felt nothing. "Heero!"

"I won't let you kill her!" The young man declared, his own gun still raised.

Quinze clutched his hand in agony, unable to respond due to the immense pain. Heero had grazed the man's hand for a reason, other than to knock the gun away.

Relena smiled. "I didn't expect you to save me," she told him.

"I didn't realized I'd have to save you either," Heero said dryly. "You're standing in the way of my battle, you know. I can't finish it until you're out of here." (4)

-

"Dorothy!" Usagi gasped, barely dodging the girl's swipe. "Why are you like this? What causes you to love battle so much?"

"Humans are born to fight! They only evolve to a greater state through battles," Dorothy stated matter-of-factly.

"How can you be so pessimistic about humans? Battle is not the only inherent nature of the human race!" Usagi said, turning offensive.

"Because these days humans are foolish enough to try to get rid of their fighting nature entire! To give up fighting is like to give up life!" Dorothy proclaimed passionately.

"You're wrong," Usagi said vehemently. "You just don't know any better."

"What?" Dorothy was taken aback.

"You heard me," Usagi said, stepping back into guard position. "You don't know any better. Life as a Romefeller has blinded so that you've never seen what goes on outside, in a world that desires peace. You've just been too wrapped up in your own ideal world of bloodshed. Hasn't anyone shown you kindness, Dorothy Catalonia?"

Dorothy's face hardened at the last question. "Shut up! I'll show you an ideal world! It's more realistic than Relena's silly dream!" Dorothy lashed out the rigor of the Zero System, relentlessly striking at the girl.

"Her goals as far more noble than yours, Dorothy. That's why she's where she's at, and you're still blind to everything," Usagi spat, blocking an attack. "She accepts the fact that there is fighting in this world. But you are blind to the peace that the people of Earth and the colonies desire."

Usagi lashed out her blade but a sharp clash rang out as metal met metal. As loudly as she spoke, she knew her battle wouldn't back her words. 'How can I do something that the Zero System won't suspect? I've got to end this soon if I want enough energy to fight afterwards! ' Usagi mentally screamed, doing her best to fend off her attacker.

**Author's Notes:**

(1) Okay, yea, another one of Relena's not-so-great lines. But, that's what she said, so that's what she said. I tried to soften it with the "sister" thing, as though she knows him too well because their siblings, but considering how they're spent zilch time together, hm…

(2) I imagine the upgraded Zero Twilight to be more like Wing Zero, with the sliding controls instead of toggle/joystick shifts.

(3) Dare ga: Who is it?

(4) Well, isn't he so nice? Sheesh.


	12. Ignore This!

TOTALLY IGNORE THIS! There used to be an apology letter here for a long hiatus, but now... err... kind of unnecessary as there are other chapters! v


	13. The finale

Chapter 12  
_The Finale_

BATTLE SPACE

"Start the final plan! Evacuate all crew from the Libra!" Milliardo commanded through the radio.

Heero narrowed his icy blue eyes when he heard that order as Quinze reached behind him and pushed a large square red button with his thin knobby hand. In his knowledge of machinery and weaponry, large red buttons always meant deep trouble.

"What did you do?" Relena asked. "What is my brother talking about? What's this final plan?"

"This ship is now set on a crash course into the Earth!" Quinze laughed maniacally. "The Earth will be punished!"

"What?" Relena cried, horrified. "You're crazy! Why would you do such a thing?"

Quinze just continued to laugh in hysteria, leaning against the machinery to support his body.

All conspiracies of ending Quinze's miserably twisted life deserted Heero's mind as this new urgency arose. "Let's get out of here!" Heero grabbed Relena's arm roughly and half-dragged her towards the hanger he hid Wing Zero in.

"Wait! Dorothy's in there!" Relena recalled, tugging the end of her yellow scarf in worry.

"Usagi will find her," Heero said, finding a space suit for Relena and holding it out for her.

"Usa…?" Relena remembered her promise, ignoring the offered suit. "Oh! How could I forget! I have to find Usagi!" She sprinted out the door and back into Libra's maze of hallways.

"Relena!" Heero dashed after her, the tan space suit laying limp where he had thrown it in exasperation.

-

"This is nonsense, Dorothy!" The helmet-clad woman swiped at Usagi head lengthwise, but the gundam pilot dodged the stroke, ducking under and throwing Dorothy off balance with her body, knocking her into the wall.

"No, this has meaning," Dorothy said, leaning against the wall. "If it weren't for you, everything would have been perfect. Relena would still be Queen; Treize wouldn't be destroying his own life! Grandfather would still be here, Heero wouldn't be at war, and neither would Quatre!"

Usagi stopped. "Quatre…?" she asked, incredulous. 'War-crazed Dorothy...and innocent Quatre?' "You can't control the choices others make, Dorothy. Quatre made his decisions on his own, and it cost his family dearly."

"And I'm doing the same. I fight for the revenge of my Grandfather! And my Father whom your colonial organization murdered the year after the elder Heero Yuy died!"

"He's not fighting for revenge. He's fighting for himself, and to protect the people around him so it won't happen again. Just like the rest of us. Trowa for his sister, Wufei for his sense of pride of protecting the innocent, Duo for those more innocent than him and his family, Heero for mankind."

"And you?" Dorothy asked, straightened herself. She pointed the razor tip of her blade at the odango-haired girl. "Why do you pilot and continue to pilot a Gundam?"

Usagi's breath stopped. 'Why do I pilot a gundam…? Because that's all I can do…? Because that's what I was ordered to do…? Raised to do…?'

-

BATTLE SPACE

"Do you know how many innocent people have died because of you!" Wufei raged, his hand clenched around Altron's controls as the light pink beam saber of the Tallgeese he was fighting clashed with his own green energy trident.

"Would you care to know, Chang Wufei?" Treize asked. With a few elegant movements with his fingers, he quickly opened a window that would give him the desired statistic. "99,822 people died in this battle through yesterday."

"Nani!" Wufei's voice was incredulous.

"I remember every single one of them," Treize murmured softly, closing his eyes in grief.

A look of utmost disgust registered in Wufei's eyes. "Who do you think you are, God!"

-

'No,' Usagi thought. 'That's not it at all. I pilot the gundam because…' She gave Dorothy a piercing look. "Because I want to be able to protect those I hold close to my heart, like Heero, Duo, Relena, Noin, Milliardo, Quatre, Treize, and more. I don't want the massacre of my parents and my Church to fuel my fight. Vengeance is powerful, but it is also rash."

"Yes. Rash. That's right. I suppose that's what I am," Dorothy said. "Rash!" She struck out with her sword with more fury, thrusting Usagi backwards.

Suddenly, the door the room opened, a ray of yellow light pouring in from the brightly lit corridors. "Usagi!" Relena yelled. "This is for you!"

Usagi spun around. catching a glimmer of silver from the direction Relena was in. As she watched the cross fly closer and closer, her eyes focused to a depth beyond normal sight and she could _see_ the battle between Wufei and Treize.

-

"Their deaths will not be in vain," Treize said softly, very aware that no matter what he said, it would only incense the Chinese pilot even further. "Human history will be built upon them."

-

_'I had to do this to end this foolish war!'_ Treize's strong voice rang through Usagi's mind as she watched the battle. Her shocked azure eyes widened. 'No!' she thought desperately.

-

"And now… My death!" the man all too calmly murmured, watching the enraged Altron come nearer and nearer.

-

Dorothy watched, puzzled, as Usagi reached out to catch the silver cross. She struck out, the Zero System's impulses too strong for her to handle.

"Usagi!" Heero shouted out.

As Dorothy's blade neared Usagi's back, she suddenly saw a vision of white feathered wings materializing from Usagi's shoulder blades. Dorothy balked, but it was too late.

-

"Good bye, Wufei. I had a good time fighting with you pilots."

-

"Treize!" Usagi let out a scream as she watched Wufei slash at the Tallgeese's waist, the green trident slicing the MS though cleanly. Her pupils contracted in shock as she missed the cross and it clattered on the floor. She arched her back as she felt an acute pain from her lower back and fell on top of her cross. A couple feet of golden hair landed softly next to her.

Relena gasped. "Usagi?" She rushed over to the motionless girl.

Heero quickly shot the sword out of Dorothy's limp hands. "What have I done?" she whispered, falling to her knees. Heero stared at the girl, watching her with an emotionless face as she removed the Zero System helmet. He walked over to Relena and looked over Usagi's wound. His eyes narrowed. Usagi shouldn't be in this bad of a condition from that wound. The blade had merely grazed the skin, leaving only a diagonal thin line of red that was only bleeding slightly. The possibility of a poisoned blade fleetingly flashed through his mind but he mentally dismissed the thought. Not even Dorothy would stoop that low. Kneeling down, he gently cradled Usagi into a sitting position, noticing the overflow of tears from her closed eyes.

"Doushite?" he heard her murmur in distress. "Why must it end this way?" (1)

He took her face in his free hand, his expression softening. Using his calloused thumb, he wiped away the tears that coursed down her pallid cheeks. "Usa? Usagi?"

Resting the wounded woman carefully against his knees, Heero unzipped the top of his black and blue pilot suit, slipped off the forest green tank top underneath, and prepared to shred it to bind the wound but a blushing Relena handed him her pink scarf, turning away in embarrassment at his bare chest. Grunting, he accepted to cloth, tore a few strips off and folded the remaining into a pad. Carefully, as to not aggravate the wound, he reached under her shirt and pressed the cloth onto the scratch. He bound the strips around her torso firmly. He slipped his shirt back on.

"Usa? Usagi!" Heero called out, extremely worried. Carefully, he supported her body back in his arms.

Usagi suddenly woke from her reverie to gaze into apprehensive prussian blue eyes. "Heero…?" she murmured sadly, clinging to the warmth and comfort of his body, tears still present in her glistening eyes. "Why do people realize the truth only when someone important dies?"

-

"You meant to do this!" Wufei stammered as he watched the Tallgeese explode, his pupils contracted in shock. Tears streamed from his eyes: tears of rage, tears of agony, tears of unfairness. And tears for the loss of an important person in his life. "Damn it! He beat me and quit."

-

MO-II

Wufei and Usagi weren't the only with wet eyes.

"Commander!" A tear fell onto her clenched hand. "Contact White Fang. The World Nation's force will surrender. Detonate all remaining MS!"

The officers in control looked startled at Lady Une request. The Lieutenant they had first known had changed greatly since the beginning of OZ. They hesitated.

"It's embarrassing enough, don't make me repeat it! Just do it!"

Shuffling of feet quickly resumed as the officers went back to work. Perhaps the Lady and Lieutenant hadn't changed that much. "Yes, madam!"

"I'm proud of you," Lady Une whispered, "Commander…"

-

Usagi ran through Libra's labyrinthine hallways, searching for the hanger. She had split from Heero and the girls because his gundam was in a different section. She looked up as the lights flashed on and off. "I've got to hurry." There was a slight shaking as the battleship entered the outermost edge of the atmosphere. She winced at the jarring of her body and her back. Sure, it wasn't a serious cut, but it definitely stung like Hell.

She slipped into the locker room by the hanger to grab a new pilot suit. After all, Dorothy had ripped a large gash in the back of her own. "Duo must be worrying." She grimaced, remembering her brother. "He's going to have a cow when he sees my hair," she moaned, tugging gently at her truncated locks.

-

"The Earth lost, huh?" Duo mused to himself as he slashed through a couple of the remaining Virgos. "We've destroyed most of the MD, but Libra's still there."

"Duo! Heero and Usagi haven't come out of Libra yet!" Quatre exclaimed.

"What? What could be taking them so long?"

"Relena is in there with them," Trowa said. "They have to get her out." If Duo hadn't been so worried about his sister, he would have cracked a few jokes about that.

"…" Wufei glared at the screen. "Yuy! Tsukino! Hurry up so we can end this thing."

'Sere-chan, please…hurry…' Duo thought, staring anxiously at the sinking Libra.

-

"Dorothy! Wake up!" Relena cried. Heero had left them alone so they could change into their suits in privacy.

"Relena…" Dorothy murmured quietly, "what reason did I have to fight her?"

"It doesn't matter anymore. That's the past. "

Dorothy blinked. "You don' t care about it? Don't you hate me for what I did to your friend?"

Relena shook her head furiously. "No, of course I don't hate you. Though I am very concerned for Usagi, this is one of the reasons why I dislike fighting so much- there may be a winner, but that means there must be someone who loses as well."

Dorothy sighed and slowly drew the suit onto herself.

"Are you done yet?" Heero asked irritably. "We've got to go before Libra enters the atmosphere."

"We're almost ready, Heero," Relena called out. She smiled at Dorothy, and gracefully held out her hand. "Let's go home."

-

Twilight and Wing Zero met up outside of Libra.

"Where are they?" Usagi asked, opening a vid-link.

Heero indicated to his mecha's cupped hands.

"Heero! Usagi!" A white Taurus approached them. "Are you all okay? You took a while in there," the purple-haired fighter commented dryly, her voice teasing. "The whole team was starting to wonder if you would ever come out of hiding."

"No fair!" Usagi protested. "It's not our fault!"

"Noin, take Relena and Dorothy," Heero ordered, releasing the two suited figures from his hands. "I'm going back in."

"But Heero…!" Twilight grabbed Wing Zero's arm.

"Usagi, you finished your battle, and so has Wufei. Only mine still remains." His gundam placed a comforting hand on her gundam's shoulder. "Unless I beat him, I can't end this war…or my own battle." It almost felt as though he were holding her hand, touching her warm skin.

"Don't do anything stupid," Usagi pleaded.

"Don't you trust me…?" Heero asked.

Usagi searched his eyes projected from the vid-link. "Yes, I do, Heero." The two gundams backed away from each other. "I do trust you to do the right thing. After everything we've been through, I'd be insane not to trust you."

Heero's eyes softened. "Arigato, Usa."

"Just be careful, okay?"

Heero nodded. Wing Zero transformed into M.A. mode and zoomed off towards Libra… towards the Epyon and its pilot.

"Heero…!" yelled Relena. "Don't die…!"

"Don't worry, Relena," Usagi said, watching the diminishing speck that was Heero. "He knows what he's doing. He's not entering this battle to die, but to live."

Relena didn't answer.

"Noin, please get Relena and Dorothy to MO-II satellite.

"Ryoukai. What are you going to do, Usagi…?"

"Me…?" Usagi asked, her blue eyes wide and innocent. "Going to watch of course!"

Noin gave her a knowing look.

"I won't interfere!" Usagi protested.

"Usagi… Everyone is heading towards MO-II," Noin said.

"Everyone except us pilots. Just take Dorothy and Relena to safety." With that, Twilight transformed into M.A. mode and flew off towards Libra. "The Libra is still there on its crash course into the Earth. Our job isn't done yet."

-

'This is it," Zechs thought as Epyon's sensor picked up reading of a large incoming MS that could only be Wing Gundam Zero. 'It ends here.'

"Treize is dead and the Earth forces have been virtually annihilated," Heero challenged as he landed in front of Zechs on the side of Libra as it made its fateful decent into the Earth, bringing Peacemillion down with it. "Are they still trying to crash Libra into the Earth?"

"Humans still don't see how stupid they are," Zechs stated firmly. "That's why I must complete this mission!"

"Never! This Libra is the final battleground. I will kill you and stop her!"

Just arriving at the scene, Usagi's heart nearly stopped at the determination in those murderous words. 'Heero!'

"I'm doing the right thing!" Zechs said. "You'll be my last enemy, Heero Yuy!"

The Zero Systems activated in all three suits. Though Usagi was merely a spectator, the bond between her and Zero Twilight allowed her to activate it when her emotions were off-balance.

-

_"You'll be my last enemy, Heero Yuy!"_ Those words reverberated in Usagi's mind. 'Oh no! He's really going to go through with it…!'

-

Wing Zero powered up his twin buster rifle, but Epyon was too fast for him.

"No buster rifle!" Zechs yelled. Quickly, using the braid-like whip, the rifle was thrown out of range.

Heero and Zechs avidly went at it with sabers. "It's time to duel!" (2)

The rifle spun far above Libra, its flight unhindered by the lack of air resistance. Heavyarms caught it.

"Trowa!" Usagi opened link with Heavyarms' pilot.

He noticed that her Zero System was activated. "It's their battle-ground," he said sternly. "No one interferes."

Usagi was about to protest, changed her mind. "I know, I know. But that's not what I was going to ask you. This is a more meaningful battle to the rest of the world than destroying a bunch of MD."

Trowa was already thinking along the same lines she was. "Yes. The world must see this battle."

-

"Lady Une!" a technician yelled from the communication panel. "We're receiving broadcasts from Lieutenant Trowa and Officer Usagi!"

"What?" Lady Une thought fast. 'Is that what you meant Treize…?' "Transfer it to the world!"

Broadcasts of this battle appeared on every communication screen. Images of Wing Zero and Epyon firing and slashing at each other flashed before the entire Earthsphere population.

"Zechs! Heero!" Noin gasped as she watched the large display screen in MO-II.

-

All over the Earthsphere, people posed the same questions.

"What's that? Two Gundam are fighting!" a person cried in surprise.

"I thought the battle was over!" another exclaimed.

-

MO-II

"Heero… Brother…" Relena whispered.

Dorothy clutched her hands close to her in rapture. "Is this the real battle?"

"The war is now officially ended, but that will not bring us peace!" the voice of Lady Une broadcasted to the entire Earthsphere. "Our souls cannot rest until we understand what combat is all about! Can you feel the sorrow that weighs down this battle? Watch, and ask yourselves why we fight! "

-

Usagi watched their battle in silence. "Zero, I wish they would stop it before it's too late."

Beeping responded to its pilot's distress. Usagi didn't have to think twice about translating the esoteric tongue.

"But Heero was serious when he said that he'd kill Milliardo!"

More beeping was heard from the console.

"You just don't get it, do you? With you driving both of them on, they are going to keep battling until one of them finally falls."

Zero remained silent, as if expecting Usagi to elaborate.

"Zero, I don't want to lose Heero, but I don't want to lose Milliardo either. This battle isn't worth either of their deaths."

'Nothing is worth their deaths…'

-

Heero's eyes contracted as the golden glow dimmed from within his cockpit. Quickly, he checked to see if the same had happened to Zechs.

"What!"

"The system stopped…?"

Heero threw off the helmet. "It must have judged this battle unworthy. It doesn't matter. I don't need it," he said, returning to a battle position on the ever-sinking Libra. "I'll stop you with or without the System. Machines don't get it. This is between you and me."

"Humph," Zechs replied, discarding his own helmet and donning his infamous mask. "I like it better this way anyway."

The two mechas clashed with their sabers. "Zechs! You think you're fighting for the weak, but you're wrong!"

"I must destroy the Earth!"

"Destroy the very home you were born!" Heero asked bitterly.

"If it is to protect the weaker colonies!" Zechs took the advantage of having Heero's sword occupied and lashed out with his braid whip. "

However, Heero caught it in his free hand. "No! All humans as weak… including you and me!"

"You may admit it of yourself, but I have yet to say that for myself!" Zechs retorted, slashing at the offending arm.

Heero winced as the efficiency level of his gundam's arm decreased, but remained a firm grip of the whip. "See the truth, Zechs! Have faith in humanity!"

Zechs scowled. "How can you be so optimistic? Not when you've seen what this world is really like!"

"Because I believe in my friends…" Heero said, the machine cannons resting on his mecha's shoulders fired continuously at Epyon, damaging his right arm severely. "And…" Wing Zero's left hand gripped the saber tighter as he prepared for the final thrust. "I want the right…"

-

Usagi's eyes widened in horror. "No! Heero!"

-

"To live…"

-

"Don't kill him!"

-

"...As a human!" His saber drove for the cockpit, but a familiar voice in his mind screamed "No" and his arm shifted to slash through the right shoulder of the already heavily damaged Epyon.

The crimson mecha slumped to his knees, the mask of the pilot shattering from the impact. Blood dripped from the pilot's forehead, trailing down to his cheek. "You've grown up, Heero Yuy." The Peacecraft didn't sound that surprised at all as he sat in his disabled suit. He wasn't just talking about his skills, but his maturity in growing out of his childhood training of suppressing emotions. The one thing Milliardo was surprised about was the fact that Heero didn't kill him as he had meant the boy to. Just like Treize, he had entered his role of the notorious White Fang leader with the intention to die in this final battle.

The colonies' representatives opened a broadcast in response to the battle. "To those of you watching this broadcast, we, the colonists' representatives would like to propose a resolution. As for the White Fang and the Gundam pilots who fought for the colonies… We'd like to express our thanks to the people on Earth who showed us fairness and love. It is our sincere wish to eliminate war and work with Earth to create one world!"

Great applause emitted from every assembly watching the broadcast.

Milliardo looked content. "The colonies and the Earth will unite. My job is over."

"No, not yet," Heero said.

"What?"

Usagi landed Twilight next to Wing Zero. "We can't let this ship crash into Earth. No matter what. After everything we've just accomplished…"

"But what should we do?" Milliardo asked. "Blow ourselves up?"

Usagi rolled her eyes. "Milliardo! Don't give Heero any dumb ideas…"

Heero smirked. "If that's the only way," he said in his most perfect soldier-ish way.

"Heero!" Usagi glared at him, but noticed a hint of mirth hidden beneath the serious gaze.

Quatre, Trowa, Duo, and Wufei joined the pilots. "No way," Quatre said. "There must be enough firepower within the seven of us to destroy this thing."

Trowa nodded. "He's right. We may have just gone through a big battle, but if we combine our power somehow, it should do it."

Doctor J opened a link to the pilots for the last and final time. "Trust the power of the Gundam, Heero."

"Doctor J…!"

"Gather all seven Gundam's powers into the twin buster rifles! That should destroy Libra. We'll sink Peacemillion while you're at it."

Usagi gasped. "But you don't have anyway to get out…!"

"We know, Usagi." Doctor J's image flickered from the poor reception on the heavily damaged Peacemillion, but everyone could see the resolution in all of the scientists' eyes… goggles in Dr. J's case.

"Good luck pilots."

Dr. J's screen flicked out.

Then returned. "One more thing. This is your last mission, Heero." His goggles flashed. "Don't get yourself killed."

Heero pondered the mission. "… Ryoukai."

Usagi gazed at him thoughtfully. 'Is this a mission he's really going to keep…?'

The pilots quickly jumped off of the side of Libra, looking back down to the massive structure of Peacemillion enmeshed with the Libra. Suddenly, Peacemillion exploded, causing a small hiatus in Libra's descent down to Earth, but it quickly resumed on its path towards utter destruction.

"Let's go!" Duo yelled. "We've got only one chance to blow this baby up, so let's do it right!"

"The future of humanity depends on us!" Quatre reminded them all as they quickly split into two groups.

"Humph! We can handle it!" Wufei shouted. He quickly joined Epyon and Deathscythe and poured his energy into the buster rifle.

Usagi debated which group to go to, now the six guys had split. Heero, Trowa, and Quatre on one side, the Milliardo, Wufei and Duo on the other. Both were equally weighted power wise, until she noticed something wrong with Epyon. "Milliardo!"

"Serenity." Milliardo winced in pain. The previous battle had taken a toll on the former Lighting Count.

Quickly she positioned Twilight next to Epyon and behind Deathscythe to support the heavily injured soldier. "Don't push yourself, ok? The three of us are here to back you up."

"Thank you, Serenity Maxwell."

She sectioned her power off, some to support Epyon, the rest to power-up the buster rifle.

"Target locked!"

Usagi gritted her teeth as she felt the pent-up energy in the buster rifles. 'We can't screw this up...!' The Libra zoomed nearer and nearer to them, a blazing aura surrounding it as it burnt its way into the Earth's atmosphere.

"Fire!"

Twin beams of golden energy hit the Libra dead center and the massive fortress exploded.

"We… we… we did it!" Duo yelled. "Yeah! This calls for some expensive champagne!"

Quatre let out that breath he didn't know he had been holding. A relieved smile spread across his face. "As long as it doesn't have alcohol in it, Duo."

"Aw, Quatre! What's the fun in that?"

"Maxwell! You're under-age!" Wufei snapped, but despite his acrimonious words, his voice was laced with something akin to satisfaction.

Milliardo couldn't help but crack a smile at the younger pilots' antics. He sighed in relief. It was finally over.

"Wha…?" Usagi cried. At first, they had all thought she was object to being under the drinking age, but there was something in her voice that told them otherwise.

Heero quickly glanced at what remained of the Libra, and his heart skipped a beat. A section, at least a quarter of the former space fortress, was still in process of descent.

"That piece is too big! It won't burn up in the atmosphere!" Quatre exclaimed.

"The impact on Earth will be devastating."

Milliardo grit his teeth at Trowa's report. "We don't have enough firepower to do recharge the rifles."

"How could we… have…missed?" Duo was aghast, along with the rest of the seven.

"We've failed…" Wufei growled disgustedly.

"Not yet, we haven't…!" Heero dived down to meet the offending piece of debris.

"Heero!" Usagi quickly chased after him. "Don't you dare…!"

"Heero! Usagi/Serenity!" The other five pilots anxiously watched the unforgettable events unfold.

"Heero! What are you doing!" Usagi yelled. She grimaced as Twilight shook from the friction of entering the atmosphere.

"Finishing my mission!" Heero retorted. "Go back, it's not safe."

"I'm not leaving without you. Don't you dare die on me, Heero!"

"I do what I have to do, Usagi. You of all people should understand that," he said quietly.

"Then what are you going to do. Self-destruct?"

"If that's what it takes."

"No way! There's got to be another way."

A transmission came in from an unknown source. "Have you forgotten you're own buster rifle?" the voice queried.

"Dr. M?" Usagi was incredulous.

"Sorry. This is a recording. I don't know if I'll get in contact with you again, Serenity, but good luck."

The transmission ended. 'I hate it when she does that.' Usagi quickly activated Twilight's buster rifle as the said weapon detached from the back of the mecha where it had been lodged for safe-keeping.

"Hurry, Usa." The pair eyed the approaching debris as they turned their backs to the Earth.

Handing the rifle to Heero, she took a supporting position behind him. Twilight clung to Wing Zero as the mechas made the rough journey through the atmosphere.

'I don't know how much more I can handle this,' Usagi thought as she watched Heero charge the rifle. 'The friction's too high! Wing Zero and Twilight aren't equipped with the necessary protection shields to survive the entire descent. Not to mention Wing Zero's already damaged.' "Zero! Help us!" Usagi yelled desperately. 'How is Heero going to be able to aim in this situation?'

Heero indeed was having difficulty controlling the rifle. "One shot. Can't mess up!" The normally golden glare from the Zero System within his cockpit turned red as the systems began to perilously malfunction. He grit his teeth as the target display wandered haphazardly, refusing to lock on.

'We cannot afford to fail! Everyone is depending on us!' Usagi's sudden burst of emotion ignited a flame in her. Suddenly, the languishing energy readings of Twilight began to increase, increment by increment. 'Nani?' Quickly, she supplied energy to that of Wing Zero and his control systems stabilized.

"Arigato, Usa." Heero looked utterly bewildered at how he suddenly received a energy boost, but knew that Usagi was the cause.

A soft smile spread across her face. Despite all the chaos around them, and the important task at hand, he still found the time to thank her. "Anytime, Heero. Anytime."

Together, they focused their energy into the rifle as Heero concentrated his aim onto one point, and the target sensor finally locked on. The edges of their gundams glowed a fiery red from the intense heat.

-

"Are they going to make it?" Milliardo asked, concern in his clear blue eyes.

"They better…!" Duo grumbled. "It'll be a miracle, but after everything Heero and Usagi have done for this world, they'll do it."

"Yes. I believe in them," Quatre affirmed. Trowa and Wufei nodded in agreement.

-

Heero met Usagi's eyes in the vid-screen. "Let's do it."

Usagi nodded and braced for the recoil. "It all ends now," she vehemently spat at the offending target. As Heero's finger pulled the trigger, he too left his message, "We will survive!"

A blazing gold beam shot out from the tip of the rifle, the crackling energy striking the fallen section of the Libra right on target, annihilating the debris entirely.

Sighing in relief, Usagi leaned back into her seat, closing her eyes in exhaustion. Both Gundam's systems went red, but neither of them seemed to care.

"We did it," Heero said, slumping back and closing his own blue eyes. "Mission…"

"Accomplished," Usagi murmured, finishing his trademark statement.

-

"They… they did it!" Duo yelled in excitement. "Yeah!"

-

Cheers spread through the entire Earthsphere as the final threat to the peace was destroyed.

"They did it, Dorothy! They did it!" Relena hugged the awed girl in her bubbling excitement.

"They're amazing," Noin said, a hand over her chest in relief.

Dorothy smiled the first real smile in her life. "Of course they are. They're Gundam pilots, after all."

-

"They're not going to make it," Wufei said quietly, bowing his head. Everyone stared at him.

"What!" Duo cried out. "What are you talking about! Of course they're going to make it."

"Neither Wing Zero nor Zero Twilight are equipped with the proper shields to withstand reentry," Trowa said with a facade of apathy, but inside, his heart was boiling with worry.

"No…no… that can't be!" Quatre shook his head vehemently. "They have to make it!"

"Heero no baka! You better make sure my little sister doesn't die!"

-

The pilot of Zero Twilight felt exhausted as though she had cut her life 30 years shorter. "Zero," Usagi murmured softly in fatigue. "What are the chances that we'll survive a complete reentry?" Sweat dripped down the side of her face from the intense heat.

Beeping from the system gave them nil statistics.

"Usagi," Heero started, but the girl just remained still, her eyes shut, hiding those lively blue orbs. "Wake up, Usa," he said sharply. "We're not going to die."

"According to Zero we are."

"Zero is just a machine. What does it know about humans?" Usagi didn't respond. "Usa…" The communication screen flickered from the poor reception as the friction increased. "We can't get out of this unless you have faith in me… in us."

Usagi slowly opened her eyes in sorrow. "Look around, Heero. There's nothing but static. How much longer is it before the gundanium deteriorates and we burn as well?"

"The Gundams are strong enough to handle it."

"Then after we plunge into the sea? Or even worse, onto land?"

"Once we enter the atmosphere, there will be a period of maneuverability." He held up a parachute pack. "Eject and we'll deal from there."

"Deal from there?" Usagi questioned.

"Hey, I'm not that perfect."

Usagi snorted. "First and last time I'll ever hear you say that."

"Don't you trust me?"

Usagi couldn't help but smile, remembering just a couple of minutes ago when he had asked that very same question. "Of course."

"Then let's do this. You're a gundam pilot. And gundam pilots fight to survive."

**Author's Notes:**

(1) Doushite: why

(2) Gah! It sounds like YuGiOh!

* * *

_Just a little treat!_

Epilogue

"Let's go." Milliardo changed Epyon into M.A. mode, causing sparks to emit from the damaged suit.

"Zechs!" Quatre exclaimed in concern of his former enemy. "Be careful. That suit could explode."

Milliardo was touched at how forgiving the blond pilot was, especially after the man had just tried to kill one of the boy's friends.

"Come on!" Duo urged. "Let's get to MO-II and grab a shuttle."

Utilizing the remaining fuel in the battle-weary gundams, the five suits made their way to the defeated World Nation's refugee base.

"Lady Une! The gundam pilots have returned!"

Relena, who had entered the control room once the battle had finished, turned her hopeful cornflower blue eyes to the communications officer. "Heero?" she asked. "Are Heero and Usagi with them too?"

Lady Une's soft brown eyes stared sorrowfully at the girl. "We've lost all contact with Gundam Twilight," she said softly, unwilling to elaborate anymore. But the whole room got the message that they didn't know if the two brave pilots would survive the ordeal. "Noin," she said, turning to her former officer. "Will you please go down to the hanger they just entered?"

Noin nodded, walking calmly through the doorway. As soon as the door slid shut behind her, her pace quickened. 'Zechs…'

For ten anxious minutes the people in the control room awaited Noin's return with the pilots in tow. They heard someone running just outside the door and turned their heads as the door hissed open.

Noin leaned against the doorway for support. "They're gone! Their gundams as well! They took the carrier that Sally brought from Peacemillion."

"Get in contact with that shuttle!" Lady Une barked. "Immediately!"

"No need." Duo's sunny, yet grave face popped up on the screen. "Sorry we didn't stop by to say hi, but we need to get to Earth fast."

Une nodded understandingly.

"How is Zechs?" Noin asked.

"A little battered, but still alive," he said cheerfully. "Hope you don't mind if we borrowed a few supplies for the trip. We're all famished and mask-boy needed a little patching up." He moved out of the way so they could see Trowa bandaging Milliardo's head wound. The imaged fizzed as the shuttle entered the atmosphere. "Well, gotta go." He threw a careless salute. "We'll contact you once we find them."

The screen blinked out.

"Well, I guess we'll have to wait then."

-

It was easy to find where they must have landed; plenty of curious people had gathered along the shore nearest to the impact site in the ocean. The waters rocked, a tale-tell sign of what happened. Everyone watched eagerly for any sign of the pilots.

Duo and the others broke into an old Pisces warehouse and "borrowed" the two remaining suits. There were only two suits but five pilots, and there was no way they could fit three grown men in one suit, so Zechs decided to sit this underwater venture out.

"Are you sure, Zechs?" Wufei unexpectedly asked. "I know how important an adversary can be."

Milliardo gazed into the coal eyes of the pilot. "Yes, you of all people would know that," he murmured softly. "But you go on ahead. It would be cumbersome with my wounds anyway."

Duo shrugged. "If you say so, Zechs. You're loss."

Without a backward glance, they split up into pairs and dove down into the ocean.

"Get off of me, Maxwell!" Quatre and Trowa heard from the com-link. They exchanged grins. "I'm piloting this one!"

"But you've never piloted underwater before, let me take over!" Duo whined. Trowa let out a small sighed. Duo and Wufei would never change.

They reached the ocean floor and carefully hunted for any sign of their comrades. The search lights fell upon a battered Twilight and Wing Zero.

"Where are they?" Quatre asked.

"The cockpits are open," Trowa informed them quietly. "They must have escaped before the suits hit the bottom."

"Let's pull Twilight and Wing Zero out," Quatre suggested.

"With what?" Wufei said irritated. "We don't have the facilities to pull them out with just two Pisces. Ow, Maxwell!"

Duo somehow had successfully pushed Wufei out of the pilot seat and directed his Pisces closer. He noticed a large chunk of tan cloth caught on the cockpit door of Twilight. "They parachuted out," he said. "Sere's parachute ripped…"

There was silence between them.

"She's still alive, Duo," Wufei said softly. "Heero wouldn't let her die."

Duo turned to him, tears brimming in his cobalt eyes. "I know. I know she's still out there. I'll see her again someday."

When the four pilots returned to the surface, Milliardo had mysteriously disappeared, leaving the battered Epyon with them.

"Where did he go?" they asked each other.

After finding no answer, they themselves split up, each taking a different route.

-

Within the next month, a team led by Sally Po successfully retrieved the famous gundams from the ocean depths. They had received Quatre's report of the mechas' whereabouts and the pilots' status of "no evidence of death, no evidence of life" two weeks after the whole incident, much to Sally, Noin, and Une's chagrin.

Epyon was taken apart upon request of disarmament, save for the braid whip that Zechs seemed to favor while he piloted the crimson suit. It would stand as a memorandum of the bravery of the masked man, Milliardo Peacecraft and Zechs Merquise. Ironically, Gundam Zero Twilight and Wing Gundam Zero were exempt from the disarmament. Rather, the majority of the citizens desired the two magnificent mechas to be restored as a monument for their brave deed. Therefore the gundanium salvaged from Epyon was used to refurbish the two mechas. As an additional safety feature to the intense security around the premise, the Zero System remained active to guard the gundams from dangerous thieves.

A week after the gundams had been restored (lacking all ammunition, of course), it was publicized that they had gone missing.

An uproar of distress shook the Earthsphere and the new Vice Foreign Minister Relena was hard-pressed to mollify the citizens. Swamped with her duties at the nascent ESUN, it was difficult to take more onto her shoulders. For this one, she turned entirely to Lady Une for aid.

Lady Une, Sally, Noin, and the gundam pilots were to only ones unaffected by the gundams' disappearance. "Only two people could have gotten past the security around the gundams," Lady Une explained on the news broadcast. "not to mention pass through the Zero System. Only two people."

-

"Odin!" A young woman with her gold hair in a misshapen bun ran up to the teen with unruly brown hair falling into his mesmerizing blue eyes.

The young man turned around and waited for the girl to catch up. "Ren?" he asked in his gruff voice. "Where are you going?" The duo had just gotten off from their local high school where the charismatic blond teenager had involved herself in as many after school activities as possible. "Don't you have a club meeting today?" he murmured into her ear as he hugged her close. All of the numerous schools they had mysteriously transferred into knew not to get in between their closer-than-friends relationship. It was even rumored they shared a single-bedroom apartment together. But what's in a rumor?

"You swore you would cut my hair today!" she said, removing herself from his embrace and dragging him in the general direction of their apartment.

Odin smirked. "What? Didn't Catalonia give you a nice enough hair cut last time?"

The girl known as Ren punched him lightly in the shoulder, eyeing the teenager dangerously. "How dare you! Odin Low Jr.! You know she cut it unevenly! It's been three months since you promised to cut my hair."

"But you know I have a bad record for keeping promises."

"Why else do you think I made you swear to cut my hair this time!" It wasn't a question. It wasn't even a statement. With the patented death glare pointed in the recipient's direction, it was an unmistakable threat.

"Okay, okay," Odin backed off on the teasing. "Of course I'll cut it."

Ren smiled. "Arigato, Odin."

"Anytime, Ren. Anytime." He returned the smile.

**Author's Notes:**

I know, I know, OOC, but I figure, he can relax now. The war's over and he's just hiding away as a civilian. Besides, who couldn't relax in Usagi's bubbliness?


	14. Reminiscence

Interlude  
_Reminiscence_

_It was cold, yet intensely hot at the same time. There was a tearing sound as the tan cloth of the parachute ripped, mysteriously caught on the ledge of Twilight's cockpit door._

_Quickly, the parachute pack was discarded; I shivered unconsciously as I fell towards my fate in the ocean far below me. The wind whistled in my ear, my hair snapping harshly above me._

_Suddenly, I felt warmth. Strong arms encircled my waist. I didn't need to look behind me to see who it was._

_"Arigato, Heero."_

_"Anytime, Usa. Anytime."_

Usagi woke from her dream, a slight smile on her face. Ever since the war, she and Heero had been living together, constantly moving around and changing schools to avoid unwanted attention. She sat up, her blue eyes landing on the only other occupant of the apartment sitting at the table and working diligently on his laptop. He had changed greatly, yet very little had changed at all.

"I made a little breakfast," he said in his gruff voice, turning around.

"Arigato, Heiso," the girl replied, slipping out of bed. She walked lazily over to him, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes along the way. Her baggy blue pajamas rustled gently as she approached. (1)

Heero smiled softly, pulling out a chair for his companion. "Anytime, Raito. Anytime." (2)

'Those words,' Usagi thought. 'The names we call each other changes often. But the meaning of that phrase always stays the same. Since the battle, those words have been our banner, our way of expressing that we care. It just shows how much we appreciate each other for not only the big things, but for the small, everyday things too.'

"Sleep well?" Heero asked.

Usagi nodded. She quickly ate the toast set out for her. "What time is it? Are we late?" she inquired. After all, it was Monday and they still had school, even if they could easily pose as post college graduates. But they had fun being regular teenagers.

"No, plenty of time."

Usagi glanced at the clock behind her. "It's 8:25! What do you mean plenty of time!"

Heero snorted. "It's not my fault you chose a class that began at 8:40," he said dryly.

She scowled. "Haha, very funny." Taking a large swig of her frappaccino, she fled for the bathroom, taking a bundle of clothes with her. She reemerged, dressed in the local school uniform, her hair in her traditional braid. The only difference was that it went down only to the middle of her back since Heero (and Dorothy for that matter) had cut it.

"Let's go!" she yelled, walking towards the door. To her surprise, Heero was already waiting for her near the elevator. She smiled. "Don't forget I want to visit the cemetery after class. It's not that far away." The two were residing near enough to Romefeller, but far enough away to avoid any chance of encountering old acquaintances.

He nodded, escorting his lady into the elevator. When they reached the bottom, he held up a set of keys. "I'm driving," he said as they walked out of the building.

"Huh?" Usagi pouted. "But I want to drive!"

Heero's face drew into a mock contemplative look, his eyes filled with mirth. "Hm, I don't know. Your driving can be awfully scary, especially when you're behind schedule." There was a dramatic pause in which he expertly held a straight face. "Oh, stop it, Raito. Of course you can drive."

Her face brightened into a smile. "Arigato, Heiso!"

"Anytime, Raito. Anytime."

* * *

Noin, clothed in a stylish blue and white business suit, walked calmly towards a single grave, a bouquet of blood red roses in her arms. "So you're here again, Dorothy." 

"That's right. But this is the last time," the orange-clad girl said. "I'm so tired of living in the past."

"I see." Noin bent down, gently laying the bouquet on the grave of Treize Khushrenada. She noticed a single white rose resting on top of the stone marker. "Hm? Did you leave this rose?"

Dorothy shook her head. "We are not the only visitors of Mr. Treize, Miss Noin," she said. "I was informed two people came by earlier."

"Two people?" Noin thought for a while. "Could it be…?"

* * *

Usagi bounced up and down. "Hei-kun!" she yelled, even though he was only a couple feet away at the other end of the room. "Guess what!" 

"What is it, Raito?"

"Duo emailed me."

Heero stiffened. They had refused to confront their former co-pilots in hopes for time off to relax. Well, their peace didn't last soon. "Delete it."

Usagi scowled. "I know that you prefer to cut ties with my rather obnoxious brother, Heero," she said, calling him by his true name. (Well, sort of true name) "But he's still my brother. And siblings don't delete each other's emails without reading them first!"

"Hn."

Usagi rolled her eyes. "Besides, he sent it a long time ago, to my email address. This is just the first time in a long time that I've bothered to check it." There was a period of silence while she read it. "He says that Quatre has invited all of us to stay at his new mansion in Sanc."

"We are not going back to Sanc," Heero growled.

Usagi pouted. "But everyone's there! Duo, Wufei, Quatre, and Trowa. Don't forget Noin and Relena," Usagi added.

"And Dorothy Catalonia."

Usagi froze, then calmed down. "Oh yeah. I nearly forgot." She deleted the mail in silence. "Heero?"

"Hm?" He turned around.

"Why do I feel like we're just running from the past?"

Heero walked over and hugged his beloved from behind. "Usa… Are you ready to face the past, to face what happened?" Usagi remained silent. "Usagi, we were raised to be soldiers. The war's over, what would we do?"

Usagi leaned back against him, reveling in the warmth of his bodies. "We'll get by. With the support of friends and family, we'll get by."

"Usa-chan, we will go back. Just not now. I know you miss your brother."

"Don't you?"

He tightened his hold around her waist. "Not so much. I have all I need here."

She blushed, and then sifted through more recent emails. Another email popped up, sent only the day before. "Another one from Duo?"

Heero glanced over Usagi's shoulder. Yup indeed. It was signed from the "Great Annoying Braided Brother." Interestingly enough, it was addressed to both himself and Usagi.

She quickly scanned the message. "Quatre's throwing a surprise birthday party for Relena next week in one of the colonies."

'Birthday party?' Heero thought. "It has been a year, hasn't it?" he murmured, half to himself, half to his companion.

"Yes. And you were so mean to her that day too!" Usagi reminded him.

Heero couldn't help but smirk. "But I was brought up that way."

"You were never mean to me," she pointed out.

'That's because you were special, even then,' Heero thought. But he didn't need to say it; she already knew it. "You were different. You weren't a stranger."

Usagi pouted. "But that's not the point," she said, turning her head to face him. Their faces were so close… "The point is is that I was mean to her that day too. You're coldness rubbed off on me!"

Heero's lips pulled back into a true smile.

'Goddess I wish he would smile like that more often,' Usagi thought. She grinned. "Ha! Made you smile!"

The smile disappeared instantly, but it never left his eyes. "Well? What are we going to do for her birthday?" he whispered softly in her ear.

She smiled, her mind racing at all the possibilities. "I don't know yet, but get ready for a trip back to the colonies."

* * *

"Excuse me, Vice Foreign Minister Darlian?" 

Relena turned around in the busy hallway of the space port to see a man in a brown business suit. "Huh?"

"I was wondering, are you off to Earth again?"

Relena shook her head, her honey blond hair swishing gently The golden strands were shorter, and no longer confined in her braids, making a change in her looks to accompany the change in the world. "No. A good friend of mine, Quatre R. Winner, informed me that there was an emergency on his colony in L4 and that he needed my assistance immediately."

The man pushed his glasses up, feeling slightly embarrassed. "Ah, gee, that's a shame. We were planning to throw you a birthday party here on this colony today."

"I'm terribly sorry," Relena said, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "But duty calls." She entered the hanger and the shuttle that awaited her. Along the way, she bumped into two people: the captain of the shuttle, she assumed, and a flight attendant. They seemed slightly familiar.

She saw her seat and gasped. "What?" Bouquets of vibrant flowers surrounded her seat. In it, two small brown teddy bears sat, their arms raised to encircle a plush miniature Earth, as if to protect the sphere of life. "How cute!" She picked up and read the note attached to the gift.

"Heero? Usagi?" Though the note wasn't signed by names, there was a comical bunny face and a gun drawn next to it. Not to mention, there was a small dialogue written next to the "signatures."

_What! Baka! Don't point that thing at me!_

_Hn._

Of course the drawn gun had to be pointed at the bunny.

Relena's lips curled into a smile. 'That is so like the two of them… Oh! They must be the captain and the flight attendant!' She ran towards the captain's cabin, clutching the plush gift tightly to her chest. Along the way, she passed the attendant's cabin, but could recognize none of them. Upon entering the shuttle's cockpit, she drew stares from everyone.

"Oh! Sorry," she said, slightly disappointed. "I'm looking for someone… Two people, to be exact."

"Well, no civilians other than you have entered this shuttle," the captain said, standing up.

An attendant with her hair in a brown bun spoke up. "I remember seeing another pilot and attendant stepping off this shuttle a while earlier."

'Heero! And Usagi!' "Oh… I see…"

"Is something the matter, Miss Relena?" the attendant asked.

Relena smiled at the kind brunette, as though to thank her for her concern. "It's nothing. Just whimsical wishes."

Underneath that smile, disappointment filled her heart. 'I wonder how you two are doing?'

* * *

A couple of weeks later, Heero and Usagi found themselves quite comfortable in a colony in the L3 cluster. Late at night, they walked together back to their apartment. The strangest thing about them was their apparel. For once, Heero sported navy blue slacks and a white dress shirt and Usagi wore a stylish high-slit white Chinese dress with light blue cherry blossoms sprinkled across it to match her eyes. A small bouquet of white roses rested on her wrist while more were tucked firmly in her hair. 

"Well, it was a nice prom," Usagi commented, walking slowly as she turned her head up to the ceiling full of metal. 'Gosh I miss the stars…'

Heero looked at her out of the corners of his dark blue eyes. "Oh, really? Which part? The food, or maybe it was dancing with Kenneth, or what ever he called himself."

Usagi lifted an elegant eyebrow. "Is that jealousy I hear, my dearest emotionless soldier?"

He refused to answer, looking away at the cars speeding by in the lamp-lit street.

Usagi smirked, pulling him into a stop. "Well, if you really must know…" Her lithe body slipped under his arm. "I think the nicest part was dancing with you."

He looked into her eyes, seeing nothing but sincerity, and smiled. "Arigato Hikari." (3) He pulled her into a warm hug.

Usagi smiled back. "Anytime, Yami. Anytime." (4) Content, she stayed in his arms, reveling in the warmth of the one time perfect soldier. Or was he still the perfect soldier...?

"I see you two have grown much closer since I last saw you."

Instantly Heero pulled a gun from the back of his waistband and pushed unarmed Usagi behind him. It had been too difficult to find a secure hiding place for a weapon in the tight dress, especially if she were to be dancing. Once he saw who had interrupted them, he faltered and loosened his grip.

"Dr. M!"

Once Usagi got over her shock, she was infuriated, grabbing the weapon and pointing it at the woman's forehead. "What in the name of the Goddesses do you have to be able to just stroll back into my life when you just left me to Dr. J and Howard!" she spat. "What right do you have to be standing here while those men died for the peace of the Earthsphere?"

Heero was startled by the anger emanating from his beloved. "Usa?"

Dr. M looked slightly guilty. "I have no right to be here. And I have absolutely no right to interfere this one last time."

"What?" Usagi and Heero questioned at the same time. "One last time?"

"Visions, Usagi. I've been receiving visions of the late, very disturbing ones. You had them during the war, during times of utmost need," Dr. M explained. "These visions were enhanced by the Zero System."

Usagi nodded. "That makes sense. Almost every vision I've had involved Zero."

"There's something that's different about you," Dr. M said after a moment of deep rumination. "And you, Heero. Something that sets the two of you apart from any other."

They looked at each other, clueless as to where this was leading them. Of course they were different: they were gundam pilots for Goddess' sake.

"It has to do with your past lives."

-

"I'm a _what?_" Heero yelled, standing up in his outburst. They had returned to their apartment and were sitting comfortably on the sofa with Dr. M. Until Heero's little tantrum, that is.

"You're Draconian. Or you were one at one point in the very far away past," Dr. M said calmly, sipping the tea Usagi had offered. Just because Dr. M wasn't exactly on her favorites list didn't mean the blond girl couldn't be a gracious host. "It's that Draconian blood running through your veins that gives you your remarkable strength, stamina, probably your more apathetic behavior too, and of course your ability to communicate with Zero easily. I'm sure you still remember your mythology, do you not?" (5)

Heero scowled, remembering having to sit through the useless class. To think that he was actually once part of the very myths he was forced to learn!

Usagi looked at him thoughtfully as the young man sat back down. "According to the legends you instructed me to learn, Draconians have wings, do they not?"

A crafty smile spread across Dr. M's face. "Correct, as usual. But you must also know that Draconians aren't the only ones to possess wings."

Usagi's eyes shifted to her former mentor. "Yes; many mythological beings where known to possess wings. Wings of feathers, wings of fire, water, and of course, wings of bats."

"You have worn wings of an angel and wings of a devil before, have you not?" Dr. M pressed.

Recalling the rather unpleasant premonition that came with the wings, Usagi bit her lip in discomfort. "Hai. In two visions. One of Quatre and Wing Zero, the other of Wing Zero and Deathscythe engaging battle."

"Wing Zero possessed wings of pure white feathers, did it not?" Dr. M sounded as though she was an attorney at law, squeezing information out of the witness under testimony.

The blond girl shot Heero a shifty glance. "Yes."

Dr. M had the air of a satisfied cat that snatched its prey. "Wing Zero was meant for Heero; his Draconian wings were expressed in the Wing Gundam Zero."

"What about Usagi?" Heero asked, glancing at the doctor across his tea cup. "You've written quite a novel about me; let's see your prowess as a raconteur and spin your next tale."

Dr. M frowned. "I will choose to ignore your defamation of my very factual information, Heero Yuy, for the moment."

"Hn."

"Well?" Usagi asked, slightly curious. "What about me? Who was I in a past life?"

Dr. M thought for a moment. "Let me start out this way. What has been the thing that fascinates you the most?"

Usagi looked at the green-haired doctor in confusion. "Wha…?"

"The night. I remember that every night, you would spend at least thirty minutes just sitting outside, staring at the stars, and the moon."

Heero nodded. "Still does, sometimes."

"Your interest in the moon and the stars comes from your past. A couple of pasts, to be exact. You were once a princess of the moon…"

"What!" This time, Usagi shot out of her seat in her outburst. Heero managed to steady the coffee table before their tea spilled.

"Believe it. Ages and ages ago, millennia before the colonies came into existence, the moon and other celestial bodies hosted life. You were a direct descendant of Selene, the Goddess of the Moon. In another life, you became a super heroine, gifted by your lunarian powers."

"Oh? So I was a "save the day" kind of person in a past life too?" Usagi asked, sitting down.

Dr. M nodded. "Yes. This sort of lifestyle wasn't new to you, Usagi Tsukino. You were known as Usagi Tsukino then too. And as a princess, Serenity."

"So I'm guessing Heero in his past life was known as Heero."

"Correct. And, like Heero, you had pure white wings of an angel."

Usagi suddenly got testy. "How do you know all this?" she asked. "Visions?"

Dr. M contemplated how to answer the question. "I suppose visions are a way of explaining it."

The girl seemed unsatisfied with the reply, but Heero cut her off before she could say anything. "Why are you telling us this?" the pilot of Wing Zero asked.

Dr. M sighed. "You powers are awakening. Especially yours Usagi. In that last battle, in your connection to Zero, everything. You must learn to control them in a world where magic no longer exists."

"Magic?"

"Oh yes," Dr. M said, nodding at Heero's incredulous input. "How else would you call it? Yours is still dormant, except when you desperately need it. Usagi's is becoming more and more active, because she's using it subconsciously more often."

"What will happen if we can't control whatever this power is?" Heero asked.

Dr. M stared at them for a long time. "In the last battle, you were both exhausted, ne?" She received two affirmative nods. "That is because you were using your powers. It drains your strength. Before, in your past life, technology hadn't pushed magical energy out existence yet, and therefore you could draw upon the energy laced in the very air around you. Now, that source is gone, and your magic pulls upon your own strength." She paused for a little while for the information to soak in. "You are both lucky to be alive after your fall."

Usagi nodded whole-heartedly. "I know. So what do we do?"

The doctor smiled, pushing a stray lock of her exotic green hair behind her ears. "I think a little modification to the gundams is in order."

Usagi and Heero exchanged glances. What had they gotten themselves into this time?

* * *

"Usa." 

"Hm?" Usagi's head shot up from her infamous "sleeping in class" position. She was supposed to be doing homework, but the past few weeks, with all the new information plus the long nights working on the gundams, had exhausted the poor girl.

"We need to go." Heero shut his laptop and stood up.

She shot him a puzzled look. "Why?" she asked softly.

"Someone's located us. They want Twilight and Wing."

"Stupid Dr. M," Usagi muttered. "All that construction and shipment of gundanium was sure to catch someone's interest, no matter how furtive we were."

"Let's hope those adjustments help. I still don't understand about the wings though."

"Hey! I think the wings look cool!" Usagi said. "Not to mention, they do represent a bit of our pasts."

"But how are they supposed to help us?" Heero questioned. "How are these modifications better than the older version?"

"Who knows. Maybe those kinds of wings fly faster. Maybe they have no purpose at all, except to accessorize."

"Hn. Let's just get out of here."

"Fine. Where to?"

"There's a place in one of the L1 colonies. Has an underground hanger."

"Abandoned, I presume?"

He nodded.

"Okay then. That's where we go. But do we have to hijack a carrier this time?"

Usagi and Heero shared a glance, then both chuckled.

* * *

Usagi and Heero sat back to back in the dimly lit hanger. Both were typing furiously away at their laptops, updating the security around the place. 

"There. Done." Usagi relaxed and leaned back against her companion.

"Same. Let's go."

The pair stood up and faced their gundams. "So long," Usagi whispered. "I know Dr. M upgraded you guys because you'll be needed again, but I hope it's not soon."

"Rest while you can," Heero murmured almost affectionately at the mechas. "Who knows when we'll need your help once more."

The turned away, hand in hand, and returned to the calm lives of civilians.

**Author's notes;**

(1) Heiso means private as in a soldier

(2) Raito is short for mu-nraito which means moonlight, therefore "raito" means "light"

(3) Hikari: Light

(4) Yami: Darkness

(5) Draconian: from _Vision of Escaflowne_; basically, people of Atlantis (of the second moon Gaea) that held tremendous magical power. The anime didn't elaborate too much on their powers, except Hitomi's ability of foresight, and if you can call it, Van's strength and luck. To fit my story, I'm going to make their power to be strength of their will (kind of like Magic Knights of Rayearth) (Think "we _WILL_ survive"). Draconians had white wings, and tended to be rather stubborn and head-strong. Atlantis met its downfall when the community of Draconians became consumed by their power and their race perished.

Any powers that Heero possessed/possesses aren't of great importance yet, but if necessary will be elaborated on in the future. The main point of him being Draconian is being other-worldly, like Usa, and also having wings.


	15. Blind Target 01

Blind Target 01

L1

Usagi closed her eyes as she doodled on her notepaper. Who knew botany could be so boring? She would much rather take Dr. M's lectures over this torture.

When she opened her eyes, she was still sitting at her desk, but everything around her was darker than space. Suddenly, flames burst in front of her vision, she could feel the heat reach out to sear her clothes, her skin. The papers she held in her hands crumbled into ashes. She must be in some sort of office building, the fire illuminating white walls and blank windows of a typical conference room. "Wha…?"

The bell suddenly rang. Usagi's head shot up from her arm, the word "Fire!" just about to escape her lips when she realized she was back, back in reality. Students around her shoved their pencils and pens into small pouches and tucked their laptops and notebooks under their arms.

Usagi quickly closed her notebook and packed her belongings. As she walked out of the lecture hall and onto the streets of the familiar L1, she wondered what that vision was about. Is something going to happen soon…?

Hairs rose on the back of her neck, and Usagi tensed up beyond belief. She suppressed the shiver as she felt eyes follow her crossing the roads.

Who…?

A hand reached out and firmly grasped her shoulder.

She whipped around, ready to pummel her attacker to a bloody pulp. "Heero!"

"Odin, remember?" Heero narrowed his eyes. It wasn't like her to slip. "Ren…? Usagi? Something wrong…?"

Usagi hugged him around the middle as she shuddered violently. "I'm sorry… I felt eyes… It just feels like everything's crashing down again…"

Heero rubbed her back. "It's okay, Usa… everything's going to be all right."

Cold hazel eyes narrowed in frustration. She would have been the perfect target, already on edge after leaving class. Easier than any other target, at least. But no, that other pilot was always there to watch and protect her.

They seemed attached at the hip. There was no way he could reach her without going through him. He straightened his black suit and slipped on his sunglasses. Soon, other men in black suits stepped out of stores and from around corners, and they left the scene quietly.

It was time to move on to the backup plan.

TWO WEEKS LATER

"What?" Usagi turned around sharply in her swivel chair to face her roommate as he entered the door and told his tale. "They found us again? How do they even know I'm with you?"

"Simple. They asked for Wing and Twilight." He suspected their enemy had been watching a long time, like that time when Usagi nearly had a panic attack… Heero's gaze hardened. "And it's not just about us anymore."

Usagi's face darkened, remembering her latest vision, and the eyes that seemed to accompany it. "I see. We have to warn the others." She stood up and grabbed her jacket from the back of her seat, pulling a small ring of jingling keys from the pocket. "Let's go."

"Wait."

Usagi froze on the spot. Even her swinging blond tresses seemed to freeze.

"I think a little research is in order."

Her face twisted into an immature scowl. "Great. How…exciting."

He smirked. "Or, I'll do the research and relay the info to you. You can go on ahead, find the others, and jump right into whatever mess I know you'll create."

"Gee, thanks, Heero. I'm absolutely touched by your deep confidence in my skills."

Heero's smirk widened. "Anytime, Usa. Anytime."

Relena sighed, sitting back in her chair as she shuffled papers from her desk. Placing the pages neatly to the side, her eyes shift up further to the corner of her mahogany desk where the birthday note and the two teddy bears hugging an earth rested. She always had it with her, to whatever colony, whatever office, and whatever desk she sat at. Presently, she was on one of the L1 colonies, though not at the same one Heero and Usagi resided. She brushed her straight dirty blond hair behind her ears, smiling in remembrance of her two cherished friends.

There was a soft knock on the door.

"Yes?" Relena asked. "Come in."

A young woman dressed in a fashionable woman's suit top and knee-length skirt entered the room. Her short blond hair surrounded a pair of flashy gold earrings. (1) "Vice Foreign Minister Darlian, the preparations for the interview are in order," she said, lifting her hazel eyes from the black clipboard in her hands.

Relena acknowledged the woman, "Thank you, Chris." She stood up, straightening her gray-blue outfit, and spared one last glance at the gift on her desk. "Well, let's go."

They walked down the hall together, passing in and out of the sunlight pouring in through the tall glass windows. "I hope you have not been inconvenienced in any way," the woman known as Chris Marly said, the heels of her black shoes clicking on the marble tiled floor. "For the duration of your stay in the colonies, I am to serve as your private secretary. I have been instructed to spare no expense with the details."

Relena smiled in her cordial manner. "Thanks to you, these past weeks have been a pleasure, Chris."

"It's a privilege to hear that from you, Miss Darlian."

They arrived at a large wooden door.

"Well, this is it." Chris turned the polished brass knob, pushed and an onslaught of flashing lights blinded them.

"Vice Foreign Minister Darlian! What is your intention in your latest visits to the colonies?" a reporter asked, pushing his glasses up as he scribbled furiously down on his notepaper.

Yet another asked "How far has the structuring of the Earth Sphere Unified Nations progressed?" (2)

Chris held up an hand, gesturing for a little more equanimity. "I'd like to ask you to pose your questions one at a time to Vice Foreign Minister Darlian."

Relena stepped up to the podium and began answering the press's questions, doing her best not to squint in the flashing lights.

Like any other press conference, Relena's was on broadcast.

Quatre and Duo, the only two who bothered to keep contact with the other pilots were drinking tea and watching the proceedings from the comfort of Quatre's luxurious hotel room.

"Got to be pretty tough on her," Duo commented, placing his cup on the low table in front of him.

"Quite likely," Quatre said. "We've just made our first move to becoming Earth Sphere United Nations. She must be pretty busy, always on the move from colony to colony."

"Look who's talking," the braided boy exclaimed. "It's not every day the heir of the Winner House comes to L2. You goin' too? To the colony summit?"

"Yes," Quatre answered, turning his gaze to the expansive view of the buildings in the colony, knowing one of those skyscrapers was bound to hold the meeting room. "The colony representatives are currently gathering to negotiate the problems involved with the entry into the new union. We never expected it to be easy, but it has certainly turned out a little more complicated than I had originally thought."

The braided (ex-)pilot pulled a face. "Man, bein' someone like you is tough too, eh?"

Quatre cracked a cynical smile. "And you, Duo? Does this rendezvous of ours fit into your work schedule?"

"Ah, just a little delivery work," Duo replied nonchalantly, reclining in the sofa with his hands comfortable nestled behind his head. "Can't help it if the cargo is a little late…"

Quatre laughed. "Ah Duo, you haven't changed a bit…" His bright blue eyes turned to the window, observing the streetlights of the artificial colonial night. "I wonder how the others are these days…" He took a small sip of his tea.

Duo gave a soft smile. "Yea. Haven't heard anything from Trowa and Wufei since Relena's birthday. And nothing from Sere and Heero since the wars." He sighed, remembering that he still had to grill his little sister about the Zero System. He had never gotten a chance during the calamity of the war.

Quatre smiled sympathetically. "They know us too well. We won't be able to find them until they want to be found."

Duo sighed once more. Then, with his trademark sanguine attitude, he perked up. "Hey, not being in touch doesn't mean they're not well, eh?"

Quatre nodded, smiling gently. "You're right. No news is good news, especially when it comes to Heero and Usagi."

"You're kidding me," Usagi exclaimed. "No way! The war is over!"

Heero nodded, facing his partner. "It's not unusual. We should have done patrolling rather than just kicking back," he said. "We both knew, and Dr. M knew, that trouble would be brewing."

"But… I thought… I had hoped…" Usagi scowled, tossing her braid behind her shoulder. "Okay, I got Duo and Quatre. L2, right? I mean, he's got to be going to that colony summit meeting."

Heero nodded. "That leaves me to get a hold of Trowa, Wufei, and Relena."

"Well, Trowa's not that difficult to find. He is, after all, still with his sister's circus. You contact Wufei, wherever that boy is, and get Relena. If I'm going to be traveling to L2, I might as well stop at L3." Usagi grinned cheekily. "You can get the two hardest ones! The hardest one to find, and the hardest one to conceal!"

Heero suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. "Go for Quatre first. He'll be the most vulnerable," Heero instructed, turning back to the brightly lit screen of his laptop. "We'll meet in the abandoned L3 colony."

"The one with the hole in the side?"

Heero nodded.

She stood up, the chair creaking at the shift in weight, and turned toward the door. "Understood. I just hope I get to Quatre in time."

Heero swiveled around in his chair, watching her walk towards the door before standing up. Before she could get any further, Heero grabbed her hand, causing her to turn around in surprise. Usagi stared up into his mesmerizing blue eyes, blushing at their proximity. There was something in his eyes, something that she had never noticed before.

"Be careful," he whispered, his breath as soft as feathers on her rosy lips.

Usagi's heartbeat rose, thudding rapidly in her chest and into her throat. With a quick and chaste peck on Heero's lips, she broke out of his grasp. "You be careful too."

Before Heero could react any further, she was gone.

L5

Sounds of heavy breathing, rustling clothes, and body contact filled the dojo where a group of students were practicing martial arts. They all had their black hair tugged back into short ponytails, not unlike Wufei's. The stench of sweat drifted lazily in the air.

"Hya! Ha!" students gasped as they attacked and defended from each other.

"Put more spirit into it!" the sensei, or instructor, yelled.

Another student in a martial arts uniform came running in. "Master!" he yelled breathlessly. "Wufei-dono is nowhere to be found, again!" (3)

The dojo master nodded. "In that case, leave him be. He has earned his rest."

Wufei sighed as he sat in the cockpit of Nataku. "You don't seem to be the same sanctuary you once were, Nataku," he murmured, his hands resting on her (4) flight controls. He closed his eyes, but the onyx orbs snapped open moments later at a high pitched beeping from the terminal. "Hmm?" It was a text message. "Must be from one of them. How else could someone contact me through the gundams." His eyes widened slightly as he read the message. "Interesting…"

Unable to grab a faster flight legally, Usagi resorted to stealing a small speed shuttle. "Damn!" she muttered, watching the minutes fly by as she directed her craft's course to L2. "This baby better have enough fuel!" (5)

Wufei exited the dojo's main doors, retiring to a grassy hill. The dojo's master had been kind to let him in, and utilize their secret hanger deep beneath the building. But sometimes, a dojo full of young trainees wasn't the type of solitude he had imagined.

The wind blew around him, whipping back his lock of ebony hair and rustling his white uniform. With casual grace, he discarded his white shirt and let it drop to the grass. He concentrated, pulling into a guard position, and started to practice some kata.

"Ha!" he yelled, cutting across his imaginary enemy for the millionth time. His eyes flitted into the woods surrounding him.

He stopped abruptly. "Don't hide like the cowards you are," he said, straightening, his black tank top sticking to his body in earnest display of his workout. "How about showing yourselves?"

Four men appeared from behind the trees, all in black Armani suits and sunglasses. "Are you Chang Wufei?" one of them asked.

"It appears that I need not even ask why you're here," Wufei said off-handedly. "You're obviously up to no good."

"We merely asked a question of your identity," the same man replied.

"A rhetorical question," Wufei said. "You know who I am."

"And you know what we want," the man rejoined. "Be nice and come with us."

Wufei smirked. "And if I refuse?"

The men circled the Chinese youth and shifted slightly into a fighting stance. "Then we'll just have to make you."

"You just won't take me seriously, will you?" Wufei asked arrogantly. "Fine with me. If that is how you want it, I accept your challenge!"

"What?" another man gasped as Wufei lunged forward with amazing speed and accuracy, dealing one of his partners a heavy blow to the stomach. "Damn! He's fast!"

Before the man realized it, Wufei was right in front of him, his tanned hands ready to fight. "And you expected less from a gundam pilot?"

The man fell to the ground, bruised in the cheek, sunglasses knocked inches from his outstretched hand.

Catherine hummed a song as she rubbed the tiger's fur through the cage. She stood up, an empty pail in her hands, and faced her human companion. "Well, I'm done. I'll leave the rest to you, Trowa," she said, walking towards the colorful main tent.

Trowa crouched before the lion's cage, his long hands stroking the tawny fur. It was the colonial equivalent of summer time, yet he still wore the same green long sleeve turtleneck and long jeans. "Hm." He placed large chunks of meat in front of the massive animal. "There. Eat plenty." The king of cats purred lazily as Trowa caressed its fur. Its ears perked up as a man approached from behind.

"That's the first time I've ever seen a genuine lion up close," the man said, his hands in the pockets of his brown trench coat. The man might have passed as Heero, except he was much taller and older. Trowa turned around, expecting the worst.

Recognition flashed in Trowa's green eyes. "You're… Ralph Kurt."

"Wow," the man exclaimed, running a hand through his messy brown hair. "You still remember me? Back then you acted like you weren't concerned with anyone else."

Trowa was not amused by his antics. 'What does he want?'

"So, you call yourself Trowa Barton now," Ralph said idly, leaning against the side of the cage. "Just like that name back then… How ironic. I wonder what your comrades would say if they knew."

Trowa didn't buy his chit-chat. "Why have you come here?"

Ralph feigned hurt. "Is that anything to say to an old war buddy who came to inquire after you? It required some effort to find you." His eyes swept over the yard full of bright cages and colorful tents. "And such an unexpected place it is… "

Without a word, Trowa turned his back to his old comrade.

"You used to be one of our best."

"Soldiers are no longer necessary in this time," the clown said, glancing at the man cautiously from the corner of his eye.

Some sort of a superior light glinted Ralph's eyes. "That may not be the case."

Trowa lifted an elegant eyebrow. "You're point being…?"

A secretive smile spread slowly across his face. "You will understand very soon…"

Duo winced, rubbing his ear. "Damn I hate that ring tone," he muttered. He shot an annoyed glare at the communication unit. When it wouldn't stop ringing, he got up from his chair and stalked over. "Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." He pushed a button. "This is Duo Maxwell."

"Duo."

His indigo eyes widened. "Heero? Hey! Well, this is a surprise. What on earth have you been up to? Where's Sere?"

"Didn't Usa stop by?"

"Huh? She's coming?"

"She's not there yet?" Heero frowned. That wasn't a good sign, and time was running out. "What about Quatre? He's on this colony?"

"Sorry, you just missed him. We just said good-bye."

"Off to that meeting?" Heero's eyes hardened. "Damn."

Duo nodded. "Yeah… is something the matter?" he inquired, sensing some unease in Heero's voice.

"Quatre is being targeted. Usagi went after him."

"What? What are you saying?"

The sounds of her own heavy breathing and pattering footsteps were all Usagi could hear as she raced down the maze of hallways. Technically, she was in a restricted area, but passing off as a secretary was a simple trick, even if she didn't wear the short skirt or décolleté blouse.

'There, that's got to be the room. Goddess, I better be in time.'

Without knocking, she burst into the room and gasped in horror, her eyes wide and her hands over her mouth.

"Oh shit…!"

Spinning on her heels, Usagi took note of one more thing, then ran for it. "Quatre!"

_Why is it always Quatre who suffers?_

_-_

Down at the bottom of the office building, Quatre, outfitted in a black suit and tie of any respectable diplomat, stepped out of his sleek limousine.

"Quatre-sama, please hurry. You are all ready late for the meeting."

Quatre nodded to his assistant who was already on the white concrete steps leading up to the glass skyscraper. "Yes, I'm coming."

He suddenly got a flash and turned around, looking up towards the sky, and the gray paneled ceiling.

"Quatre-sama?" another assistant inquired.

The blond peacemaker frowned slightly in disappointment. "I'm sorry, it's nothing. It's just that... it felt... as though... someone was calling me..." A sheepish smile spread across his face. "Let's go." He and his assistant entered the glass doors.

Bold red digital figures ticked from 00:05 to 00:04.

Duo sprinted as fast as he could through the crowds on the street. "Please let me be in time!"

"Hey!" a sharp voice cried out.

Duo winced as he roughly bumped shoulders with the lady, but refused to look back. 'Sorry Miss!' he thought. 'But I can't stop now…!'

A police officer grabbed Duo's arm as the braided teen ran by. "Hey! Were do you think you're going! There's no passing from here!"

Duo roughly shoved the officer away. "Shut up! Lemme through!"

**KABOOM!**

The building exploded into flames, glass and concrete debris flying everywhere as people threw up their hands over their heads, shrieking and running.

"Shit!" Duo fought furiously through the panicking masses. "Lemme through!" He gaped at the charred hole in the side of the skyscraper, the flames rising to the artificial skies. He kept running; desperation called for it.

"Quatre! Serenity!"

**Authors Notes:**

(1) I know she doesn't have earrings in the manga, but with them, I swear Chris looks like that blond Doctor/Scientist (whose name slips my mind at this point) from Neon Genesis Eva.

(2) Okay, I know it's not officially ESUN, but I think USEN sounds too much like USEA (the Alliance that OZ overthrew which was just as bad as Romefeller)

(3) dono: a respectful suffix (think Rurouni Kenshin)

(4) Well, Nataku… is supposed to be sexless, in Meiran's ideal mind. But… being a girl myself, I'm a bit of a feminist, and therefore reserve the right for Meiran/Nataku to flaunt their sexuality.

(5) This is why she is Duo's sister!


	16. Blind Target 02

Blind Target 02

SECRET LAIR SOMEWHERE IN THE EARTHSPHERE

The footage of the incident in L2 played on a large screen as a man, hidden by the angle of his tall chair, watched the events pass by in his spacious office.

"…blast is believed to have been caused by explosives," a reporter commented. "It appears unlikely that any of the representatives gathered here to attend the colony conference have survived."

The controls of the screen emitted a high pitched beep, signifying an incoming vid-call, and the image of a dark haired man with a prominent nose replaced the smoking remains of the skyscraper.

"Looks like you were successful?" the man asked in his grating voice.

The man in the office, his blond hair contrasting greatly against the darkness engulfing his office, nodded. "Yes. The young heir to the Winner family is also among the casualties."

"Have you any _proof_ of his death?"

"Are you saying you don't trust me?" the younger, fair-headed man bit back.

"That was not my meaning," the elder man reassured. "But our fate rides on the success of this plan."

"There's nothing to worry about, everything's going smoothly. We're already on the next stage."

"But…"

"All you need to do is wait," the blond confidently reassured the other. "And the gundams will be yours."

_blind target 02_

Back at the circus, Ralph Kurt continued to talk to Trowa, dallying on with suspicious small talk.

"Do you remember?" Ralph asked. "That time when we never knew when death could claim us? How we buried our fears and fought, despite all the confusion?" He stared intently at Trowa as the wind tugged at his trench coat and loose tie. "But you…"

Trowa looked away, as silent as ever. Of course he remembered the time when he was a mercenary at the mere age of 9, surrounded by nothing but smoke and rubble of the newly-waged war. He had nothing, his emerald eyes void of anything while Ralph had the companionship of his fellow soldiers.

"You were the perfect soldier!" Ralph finished. "Utterly fearless…"

"Not perfect." Trowa's eyes hardened with his resolve. "Not fearless…Just empty."

Ralph raised an eyebrow. "So you're saying things are different now?"

"I've chosen to live not as a soldier, but as the human named Trowa Barton," the clown stressed.

The antagonist suddenly smirked. "Is that so? Then you no longer need that do you?" he asked, placing special emphasis on "that."

Trowa froze, sensing a change in Ralph's demeanor. "Ralph?"

The man stretched out his arms in a dramatic gesture. "The Gundam… the Heavyarms! Hand it to us then!"

Trowa stiffened.

"It should be owned by someone who has retained the will to fight!"

"What?"

Suddenly Catherine burst out of her tent, running towards the one she called her little brother. "Trowa! Something terrible has happened!" she gasped. "Quatre was…!" She noticed Ralph and stopped. "Oh… I didn't realize you… had company…" she trailed off.

The said "company" couldn't help but look smug. "So, news travels fast. When the alliance was in control, news from other colonies hardly ever got around."

"Is this your doing?" Trowa demanded, his voice dangerously cold, trying to keep his fury, confusion, and worry for his friend at bay. "What are you trying to accomplish?"

Ralph turned around, returning his hands to the pockets of his trench coat. "It doesn't concern you anymore, since you no longer care to fight for the colonies. I'll leave for now." He paused and turned his head back for one last glance. "But do me a favor and think about what we've discussed."

Trowa stared after him, his exterior dangerously calm, but his interior even more dangerously perturbed. 'Ralph, you're still wrong about me. I haven't lost the will to fight, not when the situation calls upon it.'

"Trowa?" Catherine's distressed voice interrupted his thoughts. "Who was he?"

"An old associate." He started to walk towards the city.

The woman grabbed his shoulders, stopping him, desperately trying to persuade him. Trowa refused to meet her eyes.

"Catherine…"

"Don't! You're going away again, aren't you?"

Trowa glanced at the vibrant grass beneath his feet, then turned up to the equally lively green eyes of his sister. "I'm sorry," he said sincerely. He gently took her hand in his own, his own emerald orbs softening. "I don't want to be dragged into it, but I will surely return to you." He squeezed her hand lightly in emphasis. "Because this is where I can come home."

"Trowa…" Catherine watched him leave, her hand rubbing the spot on her wrist where his warm hand had been just moments before.

_blind target 02_

From the observation deck of a spaceport in L2, Duo watched a group of men dressed as tech personnel inspect his shuttle. He slipped back into the shadows, walking away from the windows.

In a random corridor, he met up with Usagi, who had likewise gone to check up on her own appropriated spacecraft.

"So, what now?" he asked.

"Heero wants us all to meet at a colony in L3," she answered. "If I give you the coordinates, can you get Quatre there safely?"

"Nothing to it, sis. But why me? Can't we go together?" he asked as they rounded another corner. He wanted to spend more time with his sister.

Usagi shook her head, the gold braid shaking with her. "I've got to get Trowa. The shuttle I grabbed can't hold more than two people."

"But mine can," Duo replied firmly, stopping in front of a door. "So we'll all go pick up Trowa, then head over to wherever Heero wants."

She considered the proposition, and finally gave her assent. "Fine, but we can't risk bringing the gundams. If the enemy keeps tracking us down, our gundams will be safer away from us."

_blind target 02_

A shadowed figure sat in a comfortable-looking chair, his left elbow propped up on one of his armrests, and his cheek resting on her hand. He stared outside into the warm light, though he could see nothing through the drawn curtains. That didn't bother him though; he wasn't looking for any scenery. Rather, his eyes were turned inwards.

A soft rap at the door vibrated through the air as the figure flinched.

"It's us," he heard Usagi voice filter through the wood. "We're coming in."

There was a smirk on his face as a young man switched on the light. "How're ya holdin' up, Mr. Dead Man?"

Usagi entered right behind her brother and punched the braided one lightly. "How mean of you, Duo. He's still alive."

Quatre stoop up, his face a tale of misery.

Duo couldn't help but chuckle. "I'm sorry, Quatre. It's just that everyone outside thinks that little Master Winner was trapped and roasted in the blast."

"How is the situation?" the "little master" asked.

Duo walked over to the window and peeked through the curtains, checking if there was anyone nearby. "It's pretty hopeless. The conference room was completely engulfed in flames. All the reporters think there were no survivors."

"There were none," Usagi whispered hoarsely, remembering what she had seen in the room. "Well, other than Quatre. I didn't say this before; there wasn't really a good time to. But I checked the room minutes before the bomb detonates, minutes before I found you." She took a deep breath. "All of the representatives had bullets in their heads. Some who must have resisted the attackers were far worse off that a simple bullet to the brain. I was surprised no one was waiting for you, Quatre," she said, turning her intense blues on him. "But when I turned around, I saw the bomb set on the top of the door frame. I guess whoever did the dirty work didn't want to stick around long enough to finish it."

Quatre shook visibly from her narrative. "Oh…"

Duo placed a comforting hand on Quatre's shoulder. "But man, was I shocked. Even I thought you were inside the building."

The blond man looked away. "That was pure luck. We were late because there was some trouble with the car… then Usagi showed up…"

_Quatre and his assistant stepped off the elevator, his eyes glancing at the sign that would direct them to the proper conference room._

"_Quatre!"_

_The blond man turned his head to see Usagi running towards him at full speed. "U… Usagi?" It almost seemed like she was flying, she was running so fast. Were those wings on her back…?_

"_Get down!" she yelled, barreling into him, throwing him and herself a few feet back._

_**Kaboom!**_

_Flames raced towards them as they held their hands up to protect their faces, fighting the force and heat of the detonation. Quatre's assistant lay in a heap against a wall where the blast of the explosion had thrown him. Quatre slowly crawled to his feel and stumbled over to him. Usagi soon followed. The blond boy knelt down and felt his assistant's neck._

"_He's… dead."_

"If Serenity hadn't stopped me, I surely would have been killed as well," Quatre added.

Duo was still optimistic. "You got the devil's luck. Comes with being a gundam pilot. All we get out of explosions are a couple of scrapes and bruises. Well, a few broken bones in Heero's case, but he's the weird one." Usagi rolled her eyes.

"But who would do such a thing?" Quatre asked. "What are they trying to achieve with such a heinous crime? Why me? Is it because I am the colony's representative? Or because I'm the heir of the Winner family…?"

"It's because you're a gundam pilot."

Quatre looked at Usagi, his baby blue eyes apprehensive at the hint of bitterness in her voice. "Huh?"

Duo suddenly looked serious, stroking his chin in thought. "Makes sense… I had some ominous company back at my shuttle. Snooping around," he explained. "So I'm a target too, I suppose."

"All of us. That's why we're all getting back together."

"What about Zechs?" Duo asked.

She shook her head. "I doubt it. He left Epyon behind, and it's already been dismantled." She held the gaze of her two companions. "I wouldn't be surprised if our group of peace-disrupters includes a mobile suit producer."

Duo, noticing the troubled look on Quatre's face, patted the distraught boy of the shoulder. "Don't worry, Quat. We'll figure it out after we get a chance to speak with him."

"Him?" Quatre asked.

Duo smiled. "We've got an appointment with a most unusual individual."

A bit of weight lifted from Usagi's chest as she watched Quatre's eyes spark a bit at the mention of Heero. "But first," she added, "we're going to stop by and pick up another old friend…"

_blind target 02_

L5

An artificial breeze played with the grass, circling a most peculiar site. Five men in black suits were spread neatly around, all flat on the ground. Wufei hadn't even broken a sweat.

"Gah…" a man moaned, struggling to get up. "It can't be… and to a _kid_!"

Wufei's eyebrow twitched. 'Kid…?"' He repressed the impulse to snort. "Who are you people? Why did you attack me?" Wufei interrogated. The man grunted in response. To add a little incentive, Wufei crushed his heel into the mans wrist.

"You…" the man started, gasping in pain. The color had drained from his complexion, and drops of perspiration littered his forehead.

"What about me?" the oriental boy pressed.

"Because you are a gundam pilot."

In the warrior's mind, he could see the brilliant green text on the screen of Nataku. _They're after the gundams._ Wufei grabbed his discarded jacket from the ground. "That's all I need to know. If you want Nataku, then you have to defeat me first." He slung the white jacket around his shoulders, the silk cloth snapping in the wind. "But I won't hand Nataku over to someone who lacks justice. That I swear on my name." (1)

The Chinese pilot walked off with a grimace, leaving the defeated men lying bruised and broken in the artificial sun.

"It looks like what they said is coming true."

_blind target 02_

A sleek white luxury car sped down the main highway of the colony. Inside, Relena sat quietly, her mind lost in thought.

"Miss Relena?" Chris asked. "Are you feeling all right?"

Relena turned towards her secretary. "Yes, better than before, at least. But we must hurry. We have to get to the L2 colony where the incident occurred immediately."

"I've already arranged for a shuttle to meet us," Chris assured, checking the agenda in her hands. "Please keep calm."

Relena rubbed her forehead. "Why did this have to happen? I should have been there at the conference."

Chris did her best to cheer up the girl. "It's the one blessing amidst this calamity. Should something happen to you, ESUN could have possibly collapsed."

Relena could not be comforted. 'Why can't I be strong? Like Usagi or Heero? I feel helpless, unable to fight my battles...' "But…!"

Suddenly, gun fire broke out, bullets shattering the glass windows. One bullet lodged itself in the heart of the driver, killing him instantly. The vehicle swerved wildly out of control and rammed fiercely into a rail guard.

"Ungh…" Relena slowly got up from her crouched position in the back seat. Peering out from the cracked window, she noticed men in black suits and sunglasses step out of non-descript cars that had suddenly surrounded them. She didn't miss the guns in their hands.

"Relena Darlian, I presume," the man nearest to her barked. "Get out!"

"Identify yourselves!" she demanded in turn, standing her ground like she imagined Heero or Usagi would do.

"Shut up and get out of the car!"

Chris looked up at the girl, wondering what course of action the Vice Foreign Minister would take. "Miss Relena…"

The girl reached for the car door handle, her face resolute.

"No! You mustn't, Miss Relena!" Chris tried to hold her back, but a sharp throb in her right arm caused her to flinch, gasping at the excruciating pain as she clutched the offending arm.

Relena stepped out of the car, unafraid of her assailants. "What is it that you want? My life?"

"What we want, Vice Foreign Minister, is for you to come with us," a brunette man, apparently their leader, responded icily.

Suddenly, a bullet pinged off the man's gun, causing him to drop the weapon. More gun fire riddled the men, hitting their guns, hands, and arms, but no vital spots. Soon, only Relena was left standing. She turned her head sharply, the ends of her golden-wheat hair whipping gently into the artificial wind, to see a blue car approaching fast. The all too familiar driver leaned precariously out of his window, a gun extended.

"Heero?"

The car screeched to a halt and Heero leaped out. "Relena…! Run!"

Heero, Relena, and Chris kept running into the matrix of an old docking bay. Chris lagged behind, wincing in pain from the flesh wound she had received during the crash.

"Heero, wait…!" Relena implored. "It's Chris, she's hurt!"

Chris shook her head. "It's all right." The secretary bit her lip through the white lie. "I'm fine, Miss Relena. But where are we going from here? And who's he?"

Relena met the eyes of Heero and softly smiled. For some reason, eh was a winged savior in her eyes, now more than ever. "Someone who can be trusted" she said. "At his side, we are safe."

Heero stared at her with blank eyes, and then turned away in indifference. He quickly punched a code into a nearby door keypad. "We're leaving this colony. We have to tuck you away where they can't find you." The door slid open with a low hiss.

"Who are they?" Relena questioned. "Why are they targeting me?"

"Not just you." He remembered the shuddering form of Usagi in his arms, and cold hazel eyes.

"Huh?"

Relena looked past him, into the hanger, and saw a shuttle.

"They're after all of us."

**Author's notes**:

(1) Kind of reminds me of Kenshin: can't give away the title "Hitokiri Battousai" or "the Strongest" to anyone unworthy of such a title.

Thank you to all of my reviewers! I love you so much! I took out all of my comments earlier, but all insert them all in here, to make up for it! (Alphabetical order, so search for it!) And please tell me if you would like email notifications, since I don't update that often. FFN does have the option of Author Alert, which I find to be veyr useful!

**Alissa Williams **I plan on continuing with this fic! I just don't know how soon I can get new chapters out. BTW, are you related to Dawn Williams?

**AmarisD** I'm really glad you like my fic. I'm sorry I'm not able to update that often… I had a copy of Blind Target 02 and 03 that I had completed, but I changed laptops, so I don't have it on my new PC. Hopefully, the next few chapters will be out soon, and just as good as the originals.

**Ancient-Legend **cowers sorry this is out so late!

**Angel** confusing? I hope the rewrite has clearing things up! Please tell me if there's anything else that speaks gibberish!

**Angelwings6117** You're absolutely right, Usagi's not really AU! Originally, I hadn't planned on bringing up Usagi's past, but things just go as they flow.

**Anonymous** Hm… who are you? Lol. Hm… are there three of you…? I'm glad you like it!

**Babyserenity** Hey! Haven't talked to you in a long time! Lol, I'm not the only one who hasn't been updating lately… "

**Black Mage of Darkness** I'm happy that you find my fic good. I hope to be able to update soon! At least, sooner than this update.

**Cheska** OMG! Cheska's reviewed my fic! I am totally honored!

**DaughterofDeath** Demanding are we? Consider the new chapter here!

**Dawn Williams **Thank you for your support! I wish I could update more often! Not only is there school and college apps, but I've got to recover my old files that I had originally written. I hope the next few chapters will be out soon! BTW, are you related to Alissa Williams?

**Gackt Camui is sad** Lol, updates come so slowly when one is applying to colleges… but you're already there, right? What's it like? Oh, and I totally loved your fic!

**Heeros Bunny** Haha! Don't we all love Heero and Duo's antics!

**Ithilina** Er… updated faster you say… sweatdrop hm… I'll do my best.

**Jupiter Angel** Haha, yup, Heero takes on many identities… and you never know who he might be next! And I'm sure you can write excellently! I really enjoy your fic _Building a Mystery_. It's totally intriguing.

**Lizzy Black** I know! Poor Quatre! sniffles and he's one of my favorites! Actually, they're all my favorites, but… who can blame me! Don't worry about Quatre! He's in good hands.

**Lovely Angel** Update soon… you know, I write that a lot when I give reviews too, and here I am, updating after a YEAR! Ya, what a great person I am…

**Macie** Yup! Da sequel is here!

**Mako-sempai** Endless Waltz…? Yes, it's coming… eventually

**Moon Dreamer** Enjoy the sequel(s)

**Morrighan** Sheesh. So I added to a scene! Lol! I HAVE to! Come on, we can't expect Heero to be all anti-lovable for all eternity, now can we?

**Nessa22** I'm glad you like the ending… I put a lot of thought into it.

**Raye-chan** Consider the memories… sort of back… hmm… I've got to work that through a bit…

**Sailor Cosmos Moon** Thank you! You're praise means a lot to me, and makes me one step closer to completing the next chapter!

**Sere Star** Lol, I've started to sequel, but updates are going to be coming slowly…

**Serenity Moon2** I'm really glad you like it! It's been such a long time since I've updated, but here it is! As for reading Gundam Wing, there should been online manga scans somewhere… if I find the website, I'll be sure to tell you!

**Silver Moon Dreamer** Heehee, don't you just love Duo-chan! He's so adorable!

**The Iron Duke** Ha! Three months? How long has it been now? A year? Wow, I don't even know if you still go on FFN anymore… it's like a new generation of GWSM fic authors. Hey! I never knew that about Nataku? Where'd you get that info? Anyways, you're input has been greatly appreciated! Thank you so much!

**The Unknown Muncher** I'm glad you enjoyed it

**Whitesiren** Heero and Usa are so cute together, I know! Hey, I think I read one of your fics, it was really good!

**xxSilverWingsxx** I made you cry…! My English teacher once told me if I could make him cry as he graded my paper, I would automatically get 100.

Review!


	17. Blind Target 03

Blind Target 03

Hidden inside an underground hanger in L5, Wufei sighed, leaning against the foot of Altron.His cheek rested on the cool white metal. "Nataku… Now, you cannot lend me your strength anymore…"

_blind target 03_

Trowa walked calmly through the streets of L3. 'Is the Gundam the key to this game?' he wondered. Out of the corner of his green eye, he watched his reflection in a display window across the street, but also noticed another man a few yards behind him. After a few more minutes of walking in a desultory manner, he checked a display window on his side of the road. Just as he suspected, the very same man was reflected a few feet behind him, albeit on the other side of the street.

Trowa suddenly started to notice more and more familiar men.

_blind target 03_

A few blocks away, one of them passed Ralph, muttering, his lips barely moving. "Trowa Barton juts passed by."

Ralph continued to walk, his hands hanging as casual as a cat in this tan trench coat pockets. "Just follow him for now, so he doesn't slip from our grasp," he said coolly.

"He's alone," the blond man pointed out. "We might as well capture him."

Ralph narrowed his eyes. "Don't underestimate the Gundam pilots. That is the reason the team responsible for Chang Wufei failed."

"But…"

"Don't worry." Ralph smirked confidently. "His actions are predictable. Eventually he'll lead us… right to the gundam."

_blind target 03_

Usagi smiled as she watched children eagerly race towards the entrance of the brightly colored circus tent. She waved at the familiar figure in a tight show-girl outfit. "Catherine."

The girl, no, woman recoiled. "What are you doing here?"

Usagi frowned. "I wasn't aware that I wasn't welcome here, as Trowa's friend."

"You're not. No one from his war past is welcome here."

"I see."

An uncomfortable pause thickened between the two women as they stood their ground.

"Where is he?" Catherine asked.

Usagi did a double-take. "What? He's not here?" 'Did they get to him before we did?'

"Took off, after a visit from an acquaintance," she said bitterly, spitting out the last word.

"Oh goddess…" Usagi whispered. She took off for the spaceport. 'They're already on the colony! I shouldn't have left Quatre all by himself!'

_blind target 03_

'So I'm being followed,' Trowa thought, glancing again out the corner of his eyes. 'What should I do? Ralph probably commands just one unit… I need to know who's behind it all…'

As he passed an alleyway, he heard a familiar voice.

"Hey mister. Got a job for a humble delivery boy?"

Trowa's green eyes widened slightly at the sight of his former accomplice leaning smugly against the dusty gray wall. "Duo!"

"I'll deliver anything," he said, a mischievous grin on his face. "I've even got a special today, shaking off unwanted tails…"

_blind target 03_

Usagi sighed, praising the Goddesses that Quatre was okay.

Quatre stared curiously at her, panting and clinging to the chair for support. "Is something wrong, Usagi?"

The girl glanced up, her blue eyes meeting his lighter ones. "They're here; they've located Trowa. I just hope Duo finds him before something drastic happens."

"Trowa..." Quatre whispered, almost forlornly.

Usagi knew what was on his mind. "That was a long time ago Quatre, no one blames you, not for that, not for this."

Quatre grimaced bitterly. "No one but me."

"But you shouldn't. It's not your fault."

"But someone must be to blame."

Usagi sighed. "That's the thing. Here, on this mortal plane, the only thing humans seem best at is pointed fingers, whether at someone else… or themselves."

Quatre looked at her questioningly. 'It was as if… she separates herself from humans…?' He mentally shook his head. 'Ridiculous!' He let it pass.

"Tell me something, Quatre Winner. What would you have done differently?"

He hesitated, his blue eyes wavering under his blond bangs. "I… I don't know. Anything. Everything."

"But you can't."

He recoiled from the sudden harshness laced in her words.

"All you can do is change the future."

'That's right. I have to set things right again.'

_blind target 03_

The two men who had been trailing the one called Trowa Barton found themselves in a dead end. To their horror, shadows appeared from above and to the side. With a swift kick and a punch, Duo and Trowa made quick work of reconnoiters.

"This way!" Duo yelled, running towards the open street.

_blind target 03_

By the time Ralph and his subordinate arrived on the scene, the two pilots were gone and the trail cold. "Damn!" Furiously spinning around, he gritted his teeth. "We failed. We'll have to move on to plan B."

'I underestimated you, Trowa Barton.'

_blind target 03_

Duo grinned as he entered the shuttle. "Sere! Mission accomplished!" he threw a thumbs up, glee evident on his face. He couldn't wait to see Trowa's visage when he saw who else was in the shuttle.

Quatre and Usagi rose form their seats, smiling. "Trowa!" Quatre exclaimed. "That Allah, you're safe." (1)

Trowa's green eyes widened. "Qua… Quatre? But… I heard…"

Duo laughed. "Naw, we're like roaches. Can't kill a gundam pilot that easily!"

Quatre's eyes glossed over with emotion. "I can't die now. There are things I still have to do."

Trowa gave a small nod in affirmation.

Duo plopped down in his pilot seat in his usual cursory manner. "Come on with the tearful reunions. We've got a schedule to keep. What's Heero gonna say if we're late for our little rendezvous?"

"Heero's in this too?" Trowa asked.

Usagi nodded. "You don't think they would just be after Heavyarms now, did ya?"

"They don't have Wing and Twilight, do they?" Trowa asked, unsure of all the events that might have passed.

Usagi shook her head. "No way. Even if they found them, Zero would take care of it."

_blind target 03_

Relena sat contemplating by the sleeping Chris's bed. Finally, she joined Heero in the cockpit.

"Chris is doing much better," she said softly as she sat down next to her silent companion. "She's resting now."

"You should too."

Relena sighed. "No… I…" She continued to stare at him.

Slightly irritated, he asked, "What?"

"Tell me this isn't a dream, and that you're really here by my side."

Heero said in silence, thinking over her every word, and what could be behind it. "Relena… I…" Things had been changing since the war's end. His emotions… Usagi…

"I always wanted to be at your side, all the time. I know it's selfish, but whenever I'm at interviews, press conferences, or just in the office… I wanted to see you…"

Heero stared at her, unsure of what to say.

"But all I had were the teddy bears you and Usagi gave me…"

"… I think you're tired. Go get some rest, Relena. The dreams of the people rest on your shoulders… And your own dreams of peace."

"But not everyone wants peace… Some desire fear and hatred… Sometimes love can be a trigger for violence…" Heero stiffened at her words, but his uneasy demeanor remained unnoticed by his companion. "I wonder what the people who are targeting us are hoping for?"

Heero turned towards the controls. "It doesn't matter who they are, or what they want. The people will stand by you, including me and Usagi."

"And Usagi…" Relena quietly pointed out.

"All of us," he stressed. He refused to look at her, unsure of what he would find in her eyes. No… not unsure… afraid.

Silence drifted between them as their conversation drew to an unsettled pause. Slowly, Relena's eyelids began to droop as she leaned back into her chair. By the time she had actually fallen asleep, her head had lolled onto Heero's right shoulder.

_blind target 03_

Chris opened her eyes a crack, watching and listening for any movement. Satisfied that neither Relena nor Heero was present, the blond woman sat up, slowly pushing the covers back. With her uninjured hand, she reached into her shirt's breast pocket and extracted a slim black communicator. Pressing a button, she whispered, "This is Chris. I am traveling on a shuttle, together with Foreign Minister Darlian and pilot 01. Destination unknown. Please confirm."

_blind target 03_

Heero internally sighed, trying not to move and jar Relena. Though this position made him uncomfortable, both physically and emotionally, he couldn't find it in himself toshake her off. He mentally shook his head. Usagi was making him go soft.

Just what had she meant…? Now that he felt he had come to terms with his emotions about Usagi, he began to notice others in a different light. (2)

Out of the corner of his eye, a light on the control panel flashed to signal the transmission of radio waves. 'Hn.' Taking note of this occurrence, he let it pass without any interference on his part.

_blind target 03_

Usagi sighed, content to finally have some quiet time with her brother, a brother that she had not really seen since the Maxwell Church. True, they had fought side by side in the midst of the Eve Wars, but never had they taken a moment to step aside from all the chaos and talk.

"You still wear it," Duo commented, leaning back in the black pilot seat.

Usagi nodded, pulling out her silver cross tucked underneath her white T-shirt. "It's not just a memorandum of Father and Mother anymore. It holds my memories of Treize as well."

"Yeah, that guy didn't turn out of be too bad after all." Duo signed, fiddling with his thick braid. "I noticed you cut your hair."

Usagi shook her head, the shortened braid waving along with her, "I didn't cut it. Heero did."

"Heero?"

"Well, sort of. In the last battle, Dorothy and I were fencing and she managed to slice of some of my hair. Since the cut was uneven, I made Heero finish the job."

"Oh I see. He's been taking good care of you, then?" Duo was quiet for a moment, but it was only time before he popped the question…Afterall he figured, what good older brother wouldn't?"How close are you and Heero?"

Usagi was surprised, but in retrospect, she had figured this question would be on his mind. "I… I don't really know…"

"He's not pushing you away, is he…?"

"Like he does to Relena? No."

"But he's not really that expressive," Duo concluded.

Usagi blushed, remembering the last time she saw him. "Well, sort of. I mean, come on, this is Heero Yuy we're discussing. Rarely does he ever show deep emotions. It's more like all the little things he does that shows he cares."

"Do you love him?"

"Love…? Do I love him?"

Duo watched his sister carefully as she pondered the answer to his question. "Hey, Serenity?" Usagi looked up at him, her blue eyes bright with hope for the future. "If your answer is yes, make sure to tell him. Before it's too late."

_blind target 03_

Back into the office of the fair-headed man, Ralph Kurt's face flashed onto the large viewing screen.

"Mission failed, sir," the messy haired brunette reported.

"The pilot 03 has escaped?" the main asked, his thin mouth twisted into a displeased frown.

"I am very sorry, Commander Sogran," Ralph said, trying to look as emotionless, yet apologetic, as possible. "I took on pursuit, but he was already out of range."

The blond man, now identified as Sogran, scowled. "You understand what this means, don't you Ralph? The Gundam is instrumental for what we are trying to achieve."

Ralph tried not to show his frustration at his failure. "Yes… but I haven't lost everything yet," he added. "Pilot 01 and Darlian are still under observation."

Sogran relaxed visibly at this information. "I'll let you continue handling that operation. But this time, bring me a gundam."

Ralph's eyes narrowed slightly in affirmation. "Yes sir."

The screen flickered into darkness as the call terminated. "Damn gundam pilots. Always getting in the way." His white gloved hands clenched as he seemed to recall something in the past.

_blind target 03_

Heero gently nudged Relena with his shoulder. "Relena. Wake up. We've arrived."

Relena opened her cornflower blue eyes to see the ruins of a colony through the window, anxiety from the refugee status fighting against her sleepiness. "This is… Where are we?"

"It's one of the abandoned L3 colonies."

And abandoned for a good reason… "There's a hole in its hull!"

Heero stared into the dark depths shrouded by the debris. "About ten years ago, when the Alliance forces gained supremacy over a small resistance force of colonies, they inflicted heavy damage on it."

Relena stared at he colony, wondering if there had been any survivors of the sins of the Alliance. "Why here of all places?"

"Parts of it as still fit for use, if not inhabitation," Heero said, flipping control switches as he prepared for docking. "Perfect for hiding. Now one will suspect." His mind quickly flashed back to the transmission signal earlier. It wouldn't matter. He knew this colony like the back of his hand, including the perfect areas for ambush and escape too.

The door hissed open behind them as Chris stepped slowly into the room.

"Chris?" Relena turned around in her seat. "Are you feeling all right? Does you arm still hurt?"

Chris shook her head. "I'm fine, there's no need to worry Miss…" Her gaze shifted from Relena to the image on the screen behind the girl. "This is…!"

_Flames raced in a little girl's eyes, her house smoldering before he. Soot smirched her face, her once white dress torn and tattered. _

"_Mommy?" the younger Chris cried out hoarsely. "Daddy?"_

_A MS Leo pointed its smoking gun strait at her. Chris froze._

_Suddenly, a hand grabbed hers. "Chris!" the boy said. Without any hesitation, the boy, a youthful Ralph Kurt, yanked her out of danger. (3)_

"Chris?" Relena asked, noticing the vacant gaze. "Is something…?"

"No," the secretary assured quickly. "It's nothing."

Heero watched Chris coldly, suspecting something was amiss. Turning back to the controls, he skillfully piloted the shuttle directly through the yawning hole in the massive hull, and landed the craft amidst the ruins of the colony.

"Such desolation," Chris murmured to herself. "Just like the colony where I once lived."

There was a flash on the flight controls, signaling the presence of another spacecraft. "That's odd. This area is outside the shuttle traffic routes," Chris remarked. Relena started, wondering if they had been pursued.

"Don't worry," Heero said. "It's just them." As they disembarked, they couldn't miss the other shuttle parked (4) along side the one they just exited. For people waited for them at the bottom of the steps.

Trowa stared up passively at the entering three, while Quatre couldn't help but smile to see Heero and Relena. Duo and Usagi, with their arms linked and Maxwell-trademark grins glowing, waved cheerfully.

"Long time no see, Heero-kun!" (5)

Heero smirked.

**Author's notes**:

(1) Is it even true that Quatre is Islamic? I mean, we know that he lands in Saudi Arabia, but that doesn't say anything about his religion. I know in a lot of fanfics I've read that Quatre is referred to as a Muslim, but is that actually true? It's easy to assume that the Maganacs are Islamic, but what about Quatre himself, or his family? There's nothing in the manga/anime (that I remember) that directly points towards his religious beliefs.

(2) Oh yeah, and the apparent Heero/Relena-ness. Um… working on that… since BT was OBVIOUSLY written from a pro Heero/Relena point of view, I'm trying to preserve the image of Relena's fondness for the warrior, but the feeling isn't mutual, if you could get that from Heero's uneasiness.

(3) Okay, we all know that Ralph Kurt looks remarkably similar to Hero, especially when he was young!

(4) Is that what they call it? "Parking a shuttle"? I don't know, it sounds kind of weird.

(5) I hope you cad tell who said that. If you say it's Duo… um… you're bizarre. Well actually, not really. Sometimes, I can imagine our favorite braided-baka calling Heero, "Heero-kun" but let's just leave it for the other Maxwell.

Thank you for the wonderful reviews!

**angel313**

**Blueyesangel1186**

**Kiki Smythe**

**Tainted Spirit of Life** Well, they'll all be meeting up next chapter. And as for what the gundams look like, they're some new, some old (Wing Zero Custom, Deathscythe Hell, Heavyarms modified for space battle, Sandrock modified for space battle, and Altron. And I guess what would be called Zero Twilight Custom…)

**Tenshi no Yupiteru** BT was a radio drama production that was set between GW and EW; supposedly it explains what goes on in Quatre's head to make him stronger, what happens between Heero and Relena, and of course, what made Wufei turn to the Dark Side (dramatic music). Anyway, once BT is done, there's still one more interlude before I go onto EW!

**the Iron Duke** Saitou's actually turning out to be my most favorite character; between Kenshin and him, Saitou's definitely has more character depth. And I don't plan on having Noin following Mask-boy after EW; she's supposed to be a strong character, in love, yes, but still w/ a good head. And it was Ralph who thought that Trowa was the perfect soldier (he hadn't met Heero yet, lol). I ralphed all over your shoes…? raises eyebrow

Review!


	18. Blind Target 04

AN: Oh, my god, like, I haven't updated in for like, so long! (Okay, I'll stop w/ the valley-girlness).  
So I haven't actually written more of GWR, but I've had extra chapters written ahead of time, so here's one. 

Blind Target 04 

MEETING ROOM 

Relena sighed, her eyes never leaving Usagi and Heero's figures as they glanced between each other in a deeper understanding that she had ever experienced. Something had happened between the two of them, something that left an ache in her chest. 

"So tell me the complete story again?" Duo asked one more time. 

Heero suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. "Again?" he grunted.

_Dressed in a pale yellow button-up shirt and tight jeans, Heero Yuy sauntered down the street, a few books tucked securely under his arm. Done with the last class of the day, he was returning to the apartment he and Usagi shared. _

_Men and black suits approached him and stood in his path. "You're the gundam pilot, Heero Yuy?" a man with hazel eyes asked, pushing down his sunglasses. _

_Without any emotions flickering across his face, he glanced at them with calculating cold eyes. "… You've got the wrong person." _

_"Please hand the gundams to us… of course we'll pay." _

_Heero tried to brush past them. _

_"We'll pay you as much as you want," the man said, placing a hand on his arm. _

_"I have no idea what you're talking about," he replied, his voice steady and level. He shrugged the hand off and continued to walk. _

_"Wait!" the man cried. "It's not just the gundam we need, but you and Usagi Tsukino as well! For a new battle!" _

_Heero just kept walking, but there was a sinking feeling in his stomach as the last words echoed in his ears. _

"A new battle?" Trowa asked quietly. 

"That's what he said. Weren't the rest of you confronted?" Heero asked emotionlessly. Quatre flinched, and Trowa nodded. 

"Probably those people snooping around my shuttle?" Duo asked. "How about Wufei?" 

"We'll find out when he gets here," Heero grunted. 

"How come I wasn't?" Usagi wondered out loud. 

"They strike when we're alone," Quatre reasoned. "You were probably always with Heero." 

Realization dawned on Usagi's face. "Oh…" 'So that's why he always insisted coming with me.' She successfully suppressed the blush that began crept up, but something ached in Relena's chest. 

Duo grinned. "Yea, that's right! No one would want to pick a fight with two gundam pilots. I mean, look at how many men they set on Trowa. Just think of how many they must have set on Wufei." 

"We're all still alive, and together again, which means that they've underestimated us," Usagi said. "But don't think they won't try again. That was the second time they contacted Heero." 

"The second time?" Quatre asked. "Then why didn't you tell us the first time?" 

"Because we didn't know they wanted all of our gundams. We thought they were targeting just Zeros," Heero answered. 

"Why though? Haven't we all had enough?" Relena asked, her hands clenched in her lap. "We're finally reaching peace." 

"We can't please everyone, Relena," Usagi said with a shrug. "There will be those who are bound to be dissatisfied." 

Quatre stared hard at Pilot 01. "Heero, tell us. Who are they?" 

He glanced fleetingly at Relena, wondering how she would react to this information. "There are many groups that aren't agreeable to a Unified Earthsphere, one of them being… the remnants of the White Fang." 

Relena's eyes widened. 'Milliardo…?' 

_blind target 04 _

COLONY CONTROL ROOM 

A slender white hand grasped wires in the console. Her face set in determination, Chris pulled, breaking the colored wires free. 

_blind target 04 _

SPACE SURROUNDING COLONY 

A shuttle approached the colony. Ralph stood at attention, watching the colony for any signs of his enemy. 

'They had to pick this colony…' 

_blind target 04 _

"We're not necessarily saying that Milliardo is behind all this," Usagi said gently, as though reading everyone's thoughts. "Just because he used to be the leader of the White Fang doesn't mean he still is. No one's heard from him since the war." 

"Then who is it?" Relena asked sharply. She was on edge whenever something bad related to her brother as the war was still fresh in her mind. 

"We suspect there's someone hiding behind the cover of White Fang," Heero said. "Mobile suit producer, probably. We just need to discover who." 

"So what do we do about it?" Duo asked. 

The perfect soldier smirked. "We get ready." 

_blind target 04 _

CORRIDOR 

Quatre and Trowa busily locked down the corridors. Well, only Trowa seemed to be focused. 

"Quatre?" 

The blond boy shook himself out of his reverie. "Ah? What is it Trowa?" 

"Hit the switch," the tall youth said, closely watching his companion. "I'm sealing this door." 

Quatre nodded. 

"All we have to do now is lure the enemy down this route." Trowa was sure he knew who would be leading the squad. Shaking himself out of his own past, he decided to look into Quatre's. "Something's bothering you?" 

Quatre stared blankly at the metal walls. "What if it was because of me… that the colony representatives…" 

"Our enemy hasn't forgotten the oppression in the history of the colonies. They very much hate the Earth." 

Quatre seemed to shrink in defeat. "Maybe they thought I was a traitor, becoming a puppet of ESUN." 

"You believe that you're doing this for the sake of the Earth and the colonies, right?" 

Quatre whipped his head around to stare at Trowa, surprised. 

"You should teach others to see your opinion." 

Quatre closed his pained eyes with a small smile. "You're right…" 

"Let's hurry," Trowa said, a shadow of a smile on his face. "There's not much time." 

Quatre nodded, a hand touching a button on his headset, connecting him to the control room. "Duo? How's it over there?" 

_blind target 04 _

CONTROL ROOM 

Duo groaned. "Not good. Can't use the radar." He pounded a fist furiously on the console. "Damn! The enemy's so close too!" 

"I was wondering what was going on," a dark voice muttered loudly. "You're defenses are rather disappointing." 

Duo reeled in shock, his heart pounding wildly. "Wufei!" Quickly regaining his composure, the braided one grinned. "You're late! Almost thought they'd gotten you." 

The dragon snorted. "The enemy's already at the outer hatch." 

"Then let's get ready to give them one big welcoming committee." 

_blind target 04 _

Heero opened a room and pushed Relena in gently. "You'll be safe here. It looks like the pursuit force has already breached the vicinity." 

"You have to come back alive," Relena said firmly, facing him. "Do you plan to fight them?" 

"That was the original plan. After your safety's been guaranteed, we can destroy the forces. However…" Heero trailed off. 

"Heero?" Her pale hand reached up to touch his face, her fingers quivering in the air next to his cheek. 

A pair of blue eyes peered around the corner. 'Heero…' 

He turned away. "No matter what happens, don't come out. This is the safest spot." 

Relena withdrew her hand. "Wait… Chris…?" 

Usagi walked around the corner just as Heero said, "She has other things to do." 

"She'll be fine, Relena. Your safety is our priority," Usagi reassured. 

"Usagi!" Relena cried out in surprise, but before she could ask what the pilots meant, the door slid shut. The keypad blinked definitively in red letters, "LOCKED." 

"Heero! Usagi! Let me out!" 

_blind target 04 _

Chris walked stealthily through the halls. She held the black communication device to her lips. "I've cut the radar. They don't know you've gotten in." 

"Are you all right, Chris?" Ralph's voice asked. "They don't suspect you?" 

Closing her eyes, she easily replied, "I'm just Vice Foreign Minister Darlian's secretary." 

"True but…" his voice trailed off to a whisper. "For them to come to this colony…" 

"Yeah… Be careful Ralph. I'll look for the gundams." 

"Yeah… Don't do anything rash…" 

_blind target 04 _

"What do you have planned?" Usagi asked. 'Why are you hiding so much from me?' 

"Just something that you taught me during the war," Heero replied, as they walked down the metal corridors. "We can't just neutralize the threat by destroying the forces they send to us. We have to show them why they shouldn't be fighting." 

Usagi nodded. "And what about Chris…?" 

"Think Trowa." 

"Oh." For the first time since the wars, there was an awkward silence between the two. Not only had she been cut completely out of the loop regarding this operation, Usagi didn't know what make out of Heero, now that Relena was here. She knew she shouldn't doubt Heero, but when Relena… Usagi bit her lip. She couldn't forget that Relena was still infatuated with Heero. And Heero… she couldn't blame him for reaching out to someone who was as pure and innocent as Relena. 

With a mental sigh, the pilot of Zero Twilight made the turn towards the control room, but he grabbed her hand. Without looking at him, she fell back into step. "So, where are we going?" She couldn't help but notice his hand never left hers. A warmth spread through her, despite the chilly temperature inside the wrecked colony. 

"To find Chris." 

_blind target 04 _

Ralph pressed his body against the wall, his gun in position to shoot around the corner. Up ahead, the hallway split into two. "A-team, go left! B-team, you're with me. We're taking the right corridor!" he commanding, gesturing with his gun. "Stay alert!" 

Ralph and his team proceeded cautiously through the corridor, but there was an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. 

"Ralph?" a soldier asked. 

"It's to quiet," he muttered, halting. "There's been a change of plans. Let's regroup back at the transport." 

"The hatch!" another White Fang soldier exclaimed. 

Ralph gasped as he watched the hatch slide down. With amazing celerity, he dashed and rolled through just before it shut. But it was too soon to rejoice. He looked up to stare into the cool barrel of a gun. 

"An ambush?" Ralph asked, gritting his teeth at his captor. "So, what do you plan to do with us?" 

Trowa stared emotionlessly into the soldier's eyes. "Nothing. Just to keep you out of the way for a while." 

"What do the gundam pilots intend to do, gathered like this? Are the gundams here?" 

Quatre made himself visible out of the shadows. "Why do you want the gundams? They're not needed anymore." 

Ralph stared in shock at the blond pilot. "Quatre Raberba Winner… to see you alive after that blast… Are gundam pilots immortal?" 

"So the summit bombing was you! Why?" the blond demanded. 

"You betrayed the colonies!" Ralph bit fiercely. "The Winner family plans to sell out the colonies to ESUN, right?" 

"I…I… would never…" Quatre's eyes hardened with resolve. "If you hate me so much, you should have targeted _me_ alone!" he cried in anguish, his open palm pressed firmly against his own chest, trying to comfort his heart. "Involving and murdering innocent people… How can you say you're doing the right thing?" 

Ralph had no response for the angered pilot. 

Trowa rested his hand on Quatre's shoulder in comfort, his silent plea for the boy to calm down. "Ralph, you're coming with us." 

_blind target 04 _

Chris wandered down a hallway, following the direction of the sensor in her hands. 

"Here… there's a higher energy readout." 

She reached for the keypad, but sensed eyes watching her. Heero. 

"Unless you input the code, the door won't open." 

"Ah… um… I seem to have gotten lost," Chris stuttered, flustered. "I'll return to where Relena is…" 

"You're not going anywhere near her," a more feminine voice chimed softly. "Relena's been evacuated to someplace safe." Usagi stepped out of the shadows on the other side of the hallway, effective blocking off any escape. 

"Huh?" 

Heero walked towards the keypad. "You want a look in here, don't you?" The door hissed opened. "Look all you want." 

Realizing her had been discovered, she could only stare ahead silently. 

_blind target 04 _

Duo and Wufei stood side-by-side in the shadows of the hallway, waiting for footfalls around the corner. 

"Heero and Sere managed to get in contact with you?" Duo asked. 

"I can't ignore something that has to do with Nataku," Wufei said, his eyes closed and arms crossed. "But I hardly expected to be working with you all." 

"Hey, it's not as if we wanted to meet like this," Duo said defensively. "It's not like we're needed in this day and age." 

"Can you be so certain?" 

"Wufei…?" Duo gazed at his stoic companion. 

"The universe, as usual, is shrouded in an air of uncertainly. True peace is not attained." 

"Every age has the potential for war," Duo conceded, "but I'm hoping that the desire for peace will win out this time." 

"Even when you see these leftover White Fangs?" 

"That's the thing… I don't think it's just colonial idealists running around." 

Footsteps patter quietly down the metal corridor. 

Duo smirked. "Look's like our guests have arrived." He glanced at Wufei and met his cold black eyes with his own blue eyes. "You know the plan?" 

The Chinese pilot snorted. "Just who do you think you're asking?" 

"Right," Duo grinned. "I'm counting on you, partner!" 

They leapt around the corner to confront the rest of Ralph's team. 

_blind target 04_

"It… can't…be…," Chris stuttered. "It's empty!" 

"There are no gundams here," Usagi said icily. "We had hidden Wing Zero and Zero Twilight here once, but not anymore." 

Heero tapped his hand against a monitor that was emitting the high energy readings Chris picked up. "There are many decoys like this," he said, his voice rough and eyes hard. "We won't hand them over to the White Fang." 

"So… you knew everything…" 

Chris shivered has Heero's cold gaze turned on her. "Your transmissions are sloppy." He stalked towards the exit, standing next to Usagi. 

"You're not going to kill me?" Chris asked, incredulous. "If you're going to do it, do it! I'm prepared to die for the sake of the colonies!" 

The two just stared at her, understanding her willingness to be a martyr. But in this day and age, martyrdom should be unnecessary. "If Relena lost her secretary, she'd be upset." Usagi said lightly. 

"We have things we want to know," Heero added. The two gundam pilots turned around. 

"I'm not talking!" Chris spat at their backs. 

"There are other sources." 

"Then why let me live?" 

Heero and Usagi glanced back, before softly saying in unison, "The war was over long ago." 

_blind target 04 _

CONTROL ROOM 

Ralph's hands were tied behind his back as he kneeled in the back of the room. 

One of the screen panels flashed with the latest news reports. 

"…the Earthsphere United Nations, regarding the kidnapped Vice Foreign Minister Darlian. An investigation is being conducted in regard to the involvement of the colonies…" 

Duo sighed. "Everyone's all excited about the explosion, and Relena's disappearance. We should return her quickly." 

"She's the key to the United Earthsphere. If she were to disappear, we could never avoid the chaos," Trowa remarked quietly. 

"We can't return her just yet," Heero said as he walked in. 

"Sere! Heero!" Duo smiled. Usagi grinned as she sat down on the edge of his chair, hanging on only by Duo's casual arm around her waist. 

Heero's hands clenched uncontrollably. 'They're brother and sister!' he mentally slapped himself. But inside, a devious voice whispered, 'but not by blood…' 

Then the braided pilot noticed a dejected Chris walking behind them. "So, she was one of them too?" 

Chris noticed the captive tied up in the back of the room. "Ralph!" 

"Chris…" the soldier whispered. 

She rushed over to him. "I'm sorry, my transmission was compromised." 

"No," Ralph said, shaking his head, "I should have been more careful." He turned to the four gundam pilots. Quatre and Wufei weren't present. "What are you going to do with us?" 

"Better get comfy; I think we're ready for a little show, right Duo?" Usagi asked, grinning like her brother. 

"What are you trying to do?" Chris asked. 

"We're interrupting the communication line for your shuttle." 

"Fools!" Ralph cried. "It's locked! It's not so easy to ha…" 

Trowa smirked faintly as he pressed a button. The console flashed "System: All Green." 

Ralph gasped, shocked beyond belief. 

"Game's up!" Duo cheered. "Don't be too surprised, we're the best of the best at this sort of thing." 

Trowa glanced over at the perfect soldier for instructions. "Heero?" 

"Look for the base's specifics and a record of all transmissions," he ordered, walking over and standing next to Usagi. 

Ralph narrowed his eyes. "What are you hoping to accomplish?" 

"The identity of the mastermind behind the White Fang," Heero replied simply. 

"What are you talking about?" Chris asked 

"You… you honestly believe in what you're fighting for, I see it in your eyes, in your actions. But does the rest of White Fang agree?" Usagi asked quietly, leaning ever so slightly against Heero. "What about those orchestrating it?" 

"We're _all_ doing this for the colonies!" she replied indignantly. 

"Then why do you want the gundams?" Heero's voice cut through the room like a knife. 

"The gundams are a symbol of defiance that we intend to gather the hearts of everyone to fight under!" Chris declared confidently. "The gundams will be our banner. The gundams are…" 

"The gundams," Usagi cut her off harshly, "are weapons of mass destruction, not unity." 

"The gundams fought for the colonies before, but they had no colonial support. This time," Chris smiled, truly believing in her words, "the colonies will rally and fight with the gundams." 

"And who said this?" Duo asked. 

"That's…" 

Ralph cut her off. "Chris!" 

"Do you believe that?" Usagi asked, her voice slapping the two White Fang members in the face. Heero's hand gripped hers tightly, conveying the emotions he felt. "Goddess, everything that we've gone through and worked for, everything that _she_ has done and built, you're willing to destroy it all? Do you think it's right to kill Relena? If there's any symbol of a new Earthsphere, it's _her_, not the gundams." 

Chris stared at her in shock, remembering Relena's smile, her poise, her kindness. After all, it had been Relena who bandaged her gunshot wound. 

"Chris!" Ralph cried, worried about the pained look in her face. 

"Ralph," Trowa called quietly, "you have the right to know the truth." 

"The truth?" 

_blind target 04_

Quatre wandered down a hallway to find Wufei staring out an observation port. 

"Wufei… Why are you here?" he asked. 

Wufei's eyes never left the endless space. "I was just thinking." 'About war, about what it all means…' 

Quatre nodded sadly. "Yeah… me too." He gazed out into the inky darkness studded with a myriad of stars. "Wow, you can see all of space from here. It's so mysterious that behind this piece of glass is a world that living beings can't inhabit? Yet… it seems so gentle to me," he sighed, resting his forehead against the cool windowpane. 

"It's because you were born and raised in space," Wufei replied as though that was the obvious answer. 

Quatre stared at the farthest star, yet gazed deeply into the baby blue eyes reflected against the window. "Why do people hate?" 

Wufei frowned. "Because they are weak." 

A sad smile marred the blond boy's face. "Then I must be weak too… I can't forgive what the White Fang did." 

"That's not true!" Wufei exclaimed harshly. "You were chosen by the Gundams." 

"Wufei?" 

"You have to be strong. Because it is just." Wufei regained his posture and walked away, leaving Quatre to ponder his words in silence. 

_blind target 04_

"Well, someone should go get Relena before the show starts," Duo said as he reclined in his seat. "She needs to know too. Give her some comfort that Mask-boy isn't behind all this." 

Everyone glanced at him, except for Usagi who shot an uncomfortable look up at Heero. She slipped her hand out of his clench. "Heero should go." She inwardly sighed. She couldn't do this. She cared so much for Heero, but Relena… her best friend would be so upset. 

The said soldier snorted defiantly. "Duo goes." 

Sere's brother stared at her for a minute, sensing uneasy tension between the couple. 'Did something happen that I totally missed?' 

"Saa, I'll go, only because I'm too nice," Duo joked. Heero grunted, and Duo took it as the closest expression to a "thank you" he would ever elicit from the perfect soldier. He grinned wickedly, and stood up sharply, causing the chair to unbalance and tip Usagi from her precarious perch on the armrest, into Heero. 

"Oomph!" Heero's arms instantly circled around her waist, not only catching the blond girl, but trapping her. With the good graces of a slight blush, Usagi turned around to glare at her brother, but remained in the comfortable embrace of her partner. 

Trowa raised an eyebrow. He had been wondering if they would ever show any affection towards each other in front of the pilots for a while; ever since Heero had threatened him back on the OZ Moon base during the war, he knew the perfect soldier had made an attachment. 

Ralph and Chris stared at the two in shock. This was Pilot 01, the infamous, emotionless Perfect Soldier. "You… her… him…" 

Duo laughed. "Them? Yeah, to think that Heero and my sister, of all people. He and I need to have a serious talk." He waved. "Later. Gotta go retrieve the princess." 

'But Relena…' Chris thought. 'She's in love with him.' 

Ralph just had a smirk on his face. 'So, even the perfect soldier has changed since the wars.' 

The door hissed open again as Relena and Duo emerged. 

"Relena!" Usagi greeted almost too happily, instantly springing out of Heero's embrace. "Sorry no extra chairs and no refreshments, but you should be seeing something really neat soon." 

Heero said nothing, strangely feeling a prick in his chest at the loss of Usagi's warm body. 

"I'm sorry," Relena said quietly. "I really must speak to Chris." 

"Miss Relena…" Chris started. 

"Chris… even through I know now who you are, I am unable to hate you." 

"Relena, I…" 

Ralph cut the posing secretary off. "Relena Darlian! You're constantly preaching peace, but is this peace you speak of not in the Earth's favor?" 

She was taken back. "True, I might not understand the loneliness and sadness that colonists feel…" Her voice hardened with resolve. "But I'm trying to learn! I'm here on the colonies, aren't I? I want to understand the colonies, just as I want the colonies to know the Earth." 

Duo had taken back his own seat, and currently had a triumphant look on his face. "Done!" Everyone faced the screen as the visage of a man materialized. "So that's the new leader of the White Fang." 

Usagi mockingly studied the face. Pale blond, sharp nose, sharp chin, high cheekbones. "Kind of ugly. What do you think, Heero?" The smirk gracing his face said it all. 

"Sogran was involved with the White Fang during the war," Trowa stated matter-of-factly, reading off ESUN's profile of him. "He disappeared after Libra's destruction." 

Heero quickly typed in a couple of commands, opening new windows, in particular a log of financial grants. "Addressed to that Sogran is a large sum of money from a corporation on Earth." 

Ralph and Chris were astonished. 

"The Century Discover firm," Usagi read out loud. On another screen, she pulled up ESUN's complete database of private firms, and the scowling face of Sogran's backer, the same man the leader of the White Fang talked to earlier, flashed onto the screen. "Previously Century Discover was involved in Mobile Suit production development under the Romefeller Foundation." 

Duo whistled. "No wonder he wants the Gundams. He's got the tools to create even more powerful MS." 

"With that," Trowa added. "He can wage a new war." 

_blind target 04_

The very same face was smirking on another screen in the dim room of Sogran, commander of the White Fang. "The plan is progressing smoothly. Earth is blaming the colonial diplomats for the disappearance of Vice Foreign Minister Darlian." 

"They doubt the colonies' intent?" Sogran murmured, almost smug. 

"We've made it look that way. If the negotiations break down this way, chaos will ensue." 

"And that's when the White Fang will rise up in arms." Sogran nodded, satisfied. "Without the pesky head of the Winner family and Relena Darlian, no one will be able to stop us." 

"About that," the Century Discover President. "Is the matter regarding the Vice Foreign Minister Darlian and those gundam pilots proceeding all right?" 

"Leave it to us," Sogran assured. "And you concentrate on running your business." 

The CD President snorted. "Don't waste all that money. I want to see those gundams in the factory soon. I'll be at the conference as an observer and keep you posted." 

The screen blinked off. 

"… Petty bastard…" Sogran scowled. "Can't think beyond turning misery into profit…" 

There was a small red flash on a small keyboard resting on the desk, signaling an incoming call. Pressing the button, a soldier saluted him. "Commander Sogran, Unit 2 is about to reach its target." 

"There's no time to waste. Proceed with infiltration." 

"Roger." 

_blind target 04 _

IN A LONELY HOLDING CELL 

Trowa entered in his usual quiet manner. 

"What do you want?" the prisoner asked bitterly. "Have you come to laugh at me? What a bad joke. Peace, independence, freedom. I swallowed it all! Just like a gullible fool." Ralph stared at his hands, unable to wipe of the dirt and grime that seemed to cover them. "I… For what reason have I been fighting?" 

"I was jealous of you." 

"Trowa?" Ralph couldn't understand the context of his statement. 

"You had enemies you hated, and important people you wanted to protect," Trowa continued, staring down impassively at his former, and yet still current, comrade. "But I… I didn't have anything…" 

"I thought you were the unwavering perfect soldier," Ralph breathed. 

Trowa diverted his eyes to the metal panels of the wall. "As a weapon for war yes." His green eyes found their way back to Ralph's blue ones. "Now, I think that it was a sad way for a person to live." 

"You've changed, Trowa." 

"I can never regain my past, but I can make my future. Ralph, you still have something you want to protect, right?" 

"Something to protect…" Ralph closed his eyes, envisioning that thing… that person… 'Chris.' 

_blind target 04 _

SECURITY ROOM 

"What's this all about, Heero? Usagi wouldn't tell me a thing before she just left me here." Quatre gazed at the numerous screens of the monitor room. "Heero…? Did you have something you wanted to talk to me about?" 

"I'm not the one talking…" Heero pointed at the main screen… 

_"Miss Relena… do you truly think that Earth and the colonies can coexist?" Chris asked. _

_"I firmly believe it." _

"This…" Quatre started. Heero motioned for the blond to continue watching and listening. 

_blind target 04 _

Chris looked around, gazing through the window onto the ruins of the once habitable colony. "To come here again…" she whispered. 

"You were born here, am I correct, Chris?" 

"Yes… Ralph and I were raised here… happy days without worries…" She closed her eyes and could feel the flames and hear the deep crashes as mobile suits attacked. "But it suddenly all disappeared. I might have been young, but I remember it well…" 

_"Father… Mother…" Flames roared around the young Chris, its tendrils eagerly reaching for her tattered dress. _

_A MS Leo aimed its cruel gun at her. _

_Out of nowhere, the young Ralph grabbed her arm. "Run Chris!" _

_"Ralph…!" _

"The loneliness… the pain… we had nowhere to point to, to blame for our miseries, but towards the Earth…" 

Relena's blue eyes narrowed it pity. "That's so sad…" The girl took Chris's hands in her own. "So that such sadness is never repeated… I must ask this of you Chris… and teach me, help me learn to understand the colonies… so that the people of Earth and the colonies can live in peace… Please lend me your strength," she urged earnestly. 

"Will I be able to do this…?" 

Relena nodded. "Having known sadness… you can become more compassionate…" 

_blind target 04 _

Heero abruptly turned off the screen, its purpose done. 

"She… Relena's very strong…" 

Heero nodded. "No one else could do a better job." 

"I'd forgotten something important… It takes great courage to fight, but it takes even more to forgive…" 

"Courage is nothing you lack, Quatre. You just have to find it within yourself." 

Quatre smiled sadly. "I wish I were strong enough to search with in me. I'm not like you, or Usagi, or Relena…" 

Heero placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't underestimate yourself, Quatre. There's so much you can do…" 

"Thank you Heero. All of you have helped me overcome each crisis as they arrive." 

A buzzer rang harshly through the compound and Usagi immediately rushed into the room. She had been standing outside long enough to hear what he had said. "They're here!" 

Quatre quickly accessed the security cameras peering into the surrounding space. "It appears to be a MS unit. We're surrounded." 

Ralph and soon the rest of the gang piled into the room. "It's the White Fang. They must have thought I failed and dispatched a new unit." 

"Damn!" Duo gritted his teeth in frustration. "And we don't even have our gundams…" 

"…" Wufei remained impassive. 

Relena turned to Heero. "Well, what are we going to do?" 

Usagi and Quatre winced, knowing how hard it must be to have all the weight thrown on his shoulders. And just what does Heero Yuy tend to do when he's under heavy pressure? 

"We'll blow up the colony." 

_blind target 04 _

"Target sighted," the rough voice of a WF soldier commanded. "Commence operation." 

Before the MS could approach any closer, another soldier cried out, "Wait! There's a huge energy spike from the colony! It's growing!" 

"What?" 

**_BOOM!_**

_blind target 04 _

"What's the meaning of this, Sogran!" the CD President spat, irritated. "The colony self-destructed!" 

Sogran closed his eyes. "It means we weren't able to predict the gundam pilots' actions." 

"I paid so much money, and you can't even get the gundams!" 

The fair-headed leader of the White Fang scowled darkly. "What about the conference?" 

"It's about to begin." 

"Devote yourself to creating as much wind and waves between the colonies and earth. You just want to return to a war-torn state right? Leave the rest to me." 

With narrowed eyes, the CD president relented. "All right. I won't let you forget those words!" 

Without another word exchanged, the two cut connection. 

_blind target 04 _

EARTHSPHERE CONFERECE 

"So you mean to say that the colonies had nothing to do with Vice Foreign Minister Darlian's disappearance?" 

The colonial diplomat, standing up, nervously pushed up his glasses. "I didn't mean to say that… it's just…" 

"Do you mean it'd be bad if they knew the truth?" the CD president cut in sharply. 

The colonial diplomat rounded on him. "What are you insinuating?" 

"Excuse me," the CD president clarified. "Allow me to clarify. It is a common opinion on Earth that the Colonies hold a negative view of the Earth. Perhaps with enough dislike to take away a key player…" he suggested. 

Scowling, the colonial diplomat clenched his fists, unable to answer. With nothing short of rancor, he earnestly felt like pummeling this guy. 

"Everyone, please calm down," a clear voice rang through the room, obviously very feminine and familiar. 

"Vice Foreign Minister Darlian!" 

Relena gave a slight bow. "I'm sorry to have caused so much worry for everyone. As you can see, I'm safe. There is a perfect explanation to this situation, one in which there is no reason for the earth and the colonies continue to dispute. 

Abruptly, the CD president stood up and walked away from the table, a look of unease settled in his visage. 

"Where are you going, Century Discover President?" another familiar voice asked. 

Shocked, the CD president gasped, "Quatre Raberba Winner!" He tried to back away, but found his way blocked by a stern, albeit short, Usagi Tsukino flanked by ESUN police officers. 

"You seem surprised," Quatre said, cold and harsh. "Did you think I was dead?" (1) 

_blind target 04 _

LUNAR COLONY 

Duo nonchalantly strolled through the unwelcoming corridors of a plant. "I suppose it shouldn't be that odd a company under the Romefeller Conglomerate should have a factory on the moon. But we can't have them building any more MS now, can we…?" 

"It means we must eliminate the tricky bastard that intends to start an unjust war…?" Wufei murmured softly to himself. 

Duo looked sharply at his partner, unable to catch all the Chinese pilot's words. "Wufei?" 

With a mental shake, Wufei dispelled all useless thought from his mind. "Blow this place up." 

"All right all right, not like we'd want to have counterfeit gundams made here anyway. Man, our affinity with the moon sucks," he commented referring back to the last time they were on the moon, destroying the OZ supply of MDs. 

"If you don't want to die," Wufei growled, irritated by the garrulous pilot, "shut up!" 

Duo quickly shut his mouth and carried out his duty, but not without a cocky smirk. How he loved to put Wufei on edge. 

_blind target 04 _

On the very familiar big screen, the news played. 

"In regard to the fire on the lunar factory, it has been revealed to be a weapons manufacturing plant." The image of smoke rising form the moon's dusty surface quickly switched to that of the peace conference. "The president of Century Discover has been physically been taken into custody for…" 

Sogran flicked off the screen. "Deviations from plans cause such inconveniences," he mused out loud, shaking his head side-to-side slowly in disappointment. 

"And what plans would those be, Commander Sogran?" a voice asked piercingly. 

"Ralph! You're alive!" The WF commander was in utter shock. The colony had exploded! There was no way he could have survived… 

"Why did you gather the White Fang? For the money?" Ralph accused. 

Sogran swiftly pulled out a gun from his desk. "I see, so I've been found out." 

Suddenly, his gun was shot out of his hand. 

Heero and Trowa stood in the doorway, the former's gun extended. 

"That's enough," Trowa said softly, yet harshly. "Don't you think you've abused Ralph and the others long enough?" 

"You!" Sogran paused to think. "I see… You gundam pilots are good. Nothing less from the infamous six who saved the earthsphere single-handedly. How about it, won't you join me? With the gundams, we can make conquering the Earth Sphere a reality." He spread out his hands invitingly. "We can do what Treize and Milliardo Peacecraft weren't able to! That's why I used the scum arms merchant, and encouraged those stupid idealists to get involved!" 

Ralph would not tolerate such an insult. "You…!" 

Sogran smirked. "There will be peace on the colonies, under _my_ rule." 

Ralph raised his gun and was milliseconds from pulling the trigger, but Trowa held his arm out. 

"Stop it, there's no need to soil your hands with blood like his…" 

Ralph stared long and hard into the emerald eyes of pilot 03. He lowered his arm and turned around to leave. Trowa and Heero soon followed. 

"Wait!" Sogran's voice called back to them. "Do you think you'll leave this place alive?" 

Heero glanced at the pitiful man over his shoulder. "You should worry for yourself." 

"What?" 

Heero carelessly tossed a miniature microphone onto the tiled ground. "This conversation has been broadcasted throughout the base. I don't think the White Fang will exactly appreciate what you have done for them." 

Sogran's eyes widened and he collapsed back into his seat. Here was the end of his attempt to take over the Earth Sphere. 

_blind target 04 _

At the end of the conference, Quatre walked slowly through the building, admiring the view of the beautiful colonial life. 

"Do you see the beauty of the colonies?" Usagi asked, walked past Quatre to stand up against the full-length window. 

"Breathtaking," he breathed. 

Usagi smiled. "This is the new future, Quatre. The new future that you helped bring about. And it's this future that we must protect at all costs." 

**Author's Notes: **

(1) I LOVE this line…! Quatre Raberba Winner, at his finest! 


	19. Blind Target Epilogue

Blind Target Epilogue  
(Well, sort of epilogue; like the original, it'll explain some of the skipped scenes from BT 04 as well)

The White Fang soldiers ran through the hall.

"Quickly!" Ralph urged, motioning with his hands towards their craft in the hanger. "We don't have much time until detonation!"

Ralph turned around to see the secretary of Relena. "Chris…"

They shared a long look.

"That's it! All done. All that's left is to disappear in the blast," Duo chuckled as he ran down to corridor to meet up with the rest of the pilots, Ralph, Relena, and Chris.

They quickly said their farewells.

"Everyone, take care," Quatre said.

Trowa nodded, his eyes softening. "You too," he said, resting a hand on the diplomat's shoulder. Quatre looked up at him and nodded, smiling.

"I'll make sure Relena and Chris get to be conference safely," the blond told the rest, nodding at the two mentioned women.

"Sere, where are you heading?" Duo asked.

Usagi shook herself from her thoughts. "… I…"

Heero stared hard at her. He had automatically assumed that she would stay with him. What was holding her back?

Quatre peered curiously at Usagi's troubled face. "Is there something on your mind?"

Usagi's indigo eyes raised to meet his light blue ones. Everything was happening, and happening now. Heero, Relena, and the constant danger surrounding each of the gundam pilots…

Something needed to be done to resolve these problems. And the last thing she wanted to do what touch anything that had to do with her heart. Besides, Heero deserved someone who was pure, untainted. Someone who would bring him into the new era of peace, not someone who would remind him of the wars.

How ironic that a month ago, before all this happened, before it became so evident that Relena still harbored feelings for Heero, she had complained that they kept running from their past.

"I'll help Quatre in protecting Relena, as well as arresting the Century Discover President."

Heero's gaze, previously fixed so intently on Twilight's pilot, suddenly turned away. The rest continued to stare at her, but now with slight shock. They had expected her to go with Trowa, Ralph, and Heero to expose Sogran.

"That way I can watch out for Quatre too," she added weakly.

Duo frowned. He was positive. Something was going on between his sister and Heero Yuy. Something wrong. "Well…"

Wufei abruptly turned and walked away. 'The onna's right… we can't afford to go soft…'

"Eh?" Duo began to run after him. "Wait up Wufei!" Once he caught up with the pilot, he paused to through a wave over his shoulder. "See you guys later!"

Heero emotionlessly gazed around at the remaining persons, except Usagi. His eyes avoided hers at all costs.

Trowa got the hidden message in Heero's glare. "Ralph, let's get to the shuttle." The two men turned and headed towards the hanger, but not before Ralph whispered a sweet farewell to Chris.

"Miss Relena, we should be going too," Quatre said, beckoning. He tugged gently on Relena's elbow, pulling her in the direction of their shuttle. Chris quickly followed. "We'll be waiting, Usagi."

"Heero!" Relena called back.

Usagi refused to look up from the tiled floor. Heero finally turned his gaze onto her face, searching in those blue eyes for anything.

But he found nothing. Only distraught.

"You should go," she whispered hoarsely. "There's little time left.

Heero's face hardened at her rejection. "Hn… Take care…"

"You too," she said in the same quiet manner.

He stepped towards her, placing a gentle hand under her chin, and lifted it. "Don't worry about me. Worry about yourself."

Usagi tried to bite back the sob. "I'm sorry Heero… I thought… Everything… I…"

Quickly drawing her into his arms, he hugged her. "Shhh… You're a strong person. You can overcome anything."

She pushed away. "I'm sorry, Heero. I can't… Relena… she'll… you'll…"

"Relena? What does she have to do with anything?"

Usagi shook her head. "It's dangerous for us to be together. I thought, when everything was over, we could move one… Oh Heero…You and I… and Relena… I realized something today Heero. Relena is pure, moving beyond the wars. We are remnants, and reminders of a hard past."

"What are you saying?"

"I don't know!" she burst. What was she doing? "We have a duty!"

Heero recoiled. All right, if this was how it was, he could push away too. She's right. With the presence of uprising, he can't afford to have weaknesses.

But not before he knew if she cared.

"I'll go now…" she whispered, walking past him to reach the shuttle where Quatre, Relena, and Chris were waiting.

Heero grabbed her arm. He smirked at her startled expression. "This is familiar…" Drawing Usagi towards him, he leaned down…

To impart one sweet kiss…

And he knew.

_* * * blind target epilogue * * *_

OLD MOON BASE, HANGER

"Well, let's finish this…" Duo hit the switch on his detonation device. Neither of them bothered to watch the billowing clouds of the destroyed MD factory. "And this brings things to an end…"

"I don't think so," his partner shot.

"Wufei?"

"Why do you think Tsukino is so reluctant to stay with Yuy? We may have managed to avert it this time, but the same thing will occur once more." The Chinese warrior walked towards one of the shuttles. "Evil never dies."

Duo grinned. "You're such a pessimist. Think happier thoughts; the people aren't idiots after all. They've had the chance to taste the pain of war."

Wufei kept walking.

_* * * blind target epilogue * * *_

PEACE CONFERENCE

Police officers kindly escorted the Century Discover president away from the premise, in hand cuffs, of course. Usagi, Quatre, Relena, and Chris watched as the president shot one last hateful glare at them before being shoved into the police car.

"How are things?" Relena asked, meaning the peace conference.

"Well… Things are still a mess, but they've all agreed," Quatre replied with his usual smile.

"Good then. These troubles are over."

"No."

"Usagi?"

"It's not over. Treize and Milliardo… they've failed to turn the people away from war." There was a horrifying smile on Usagi's face, one trying to cheer herself up, but failing miserably. "Maybe Dorothy was right. We can never rid ourselves the desire to fight."

"Usagi!" Quatre exclaimed, shocked. "You can't think like that! We can't let everything we've done be in vain."

Distress could not be removed from Usagi's blue eyes. "But what if it _was_ all in vain? What if we were wrong? Do have to constantly be vigilant about insurgents?"

"Usagi…" Quatre shook his head gently. "We can't expect everything to be moving so fast. These people, the ones who resist the idea of peace through demilitarization, they never understood what the Eve War was really about. They are too caught up with their ideals to understand the terrors of war. But the new generation… they will learn… they are our new hope…!"

_* * * blind target epilogue * * *_

L3, CIRCUS

The wind ruffled Ralph Kurt's chocolate hair and his trench coat. "Well then, Trowa. I'll just make my exit now…"

A miniscule smile appeared on Trowa's face. "You should stay a while, have some coffee or tea…" he invited.

"Stop it," Ralph declined. "It's best if I don't intrude any more than I already have."

"What will you do now?"

The former White Fang soldier shrugged. "Who knows? It looks like I'll have to get used to the idea of a world without war first… Besides, I'm not alone…"

Trowa raised an eyebrow ever so slightly. "Is that so…?"

Ralph thought of a certain blond secretary. "Yeah…"

Catherine runs out of the brightly colored tent. "Trowa!"

Ralph grinned. "Go, there is someone you must protect." He turned around and took a few steps forward before pausing and glancing at his one-time comrade over his shoulder. "Trowa… Be careful. If you chose to use the name Trowa Barton, you'll be found out eventually… You can't keep it from them."

Trowa nodded, thanking him almost, for the warning. "Yeah…"

"Welcome home, Trowa!" Catherine ran up to him. "You're not hurt?"

A soft smile spread over the stoic pilot's face. "I'm home, Catherine…"

"That's so like you…" she said. "But it's good that you're home, safe and sound.

"Didn't I say I'd come back for sure?"

A bright smile broke over her face. She wiped away the tears of happiness. "That's true."

The pair watched Ralph walk away.

"He seems to have changed…" she commented.

"He has," Trowa affirmed. "His battle has finally ended."

Catherine stared up into his green eyes. "And has yours?"

Trowa stared at the retreating back of Ralph Kurt. "I'm not sure…" He glanced back at Catherine's worried visage. "But I'll always come back here."

**Author's Notes**:

I know, I update like… never…

And! Not a really satisfying ending for BT, but I need Heero and Usagi away from each other for some time, and with the idea that I'm developing for BotP, they need to be treading troubled waters.


End file.
